No Rest in Death City
by Lord Wuff
Summary: New faces appear after the chaos of the Battle at Baba Yaga Castle. Some of them bring their past with them, but all will have to grow and work together to fend off this mysterious new terror looming at the horizon. Friendships shall be tested and bonds will be broken, and one reaper must make the ultimate choice in this tale of heroism, honor, and loyalty.
1. The Sword and Shield Miester

**(A/N)This is my first fanfic so please be gentle and feel free to offer constructive criticism.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul eater.**

* * *

_A Sound Soul Lies within A Sound Mind and A sound Body._

A chilly breeze swept through the deserted streets of Liverpool. The moon grinned in sinister delight, drooling gentle trickles of blood. The whole town slept. No one knowing of the fiery eyes staring maliciously into his captured prey's, licking his lips in a twisted sense of pleasure as tears poured from her eyes in absolute terror, the gag muffling her attempted shouts into barely audible squeaks.

He was going to take his time with her.

"Don't cry, my dear."He said, pulling a clawed hand out from beneath his cloak, raising her head to forcefully meet his gaze."The fun has yet to start."

The dark, dank, windowless cellar beneath the abandoned apartment complex he called home was the perfect location to have his fun. He drooled, craving her soul all the more.

_Patience_. He told himself. _Savor every moment_.

"Now let us begin."He sang merrily raising his clawed hand for the first of many cuts.

"I don't think so."A threateningly deep voice said, coming from behind him.

"Ah!"He yelped, hiding behind his would be victim, turning to see the intruder who had so easily succeeded in infiltrating his sanctuary. The intimidating voice had come not from a man as he had expected but from a young teenage boy draped in a long black coat, brandishing a sword and shield at his sides.

"Spring Heeled Jack."The boy said, sending chills up Jack's spine."You have violated Death's law and devoured the soul of an innocent. For this crime there is only one sentence."He finished pointing his sword at Jack."Death."

The boy stood there, waiting patiently for Jack to make his move. Sweat dripped down Jack's fore head as he contemplated his next move.

Acting quickly he launched his captive at the boy and leapt through the exit out of the cellar into the street. If he was going to fight he'd do it on the streets where he could jump.

_Damn_. The boy thought. Throwing his weapons down he caught her and started undoing her binds. He wouldn't hear the end of this if spring heeled jack escaped. As soon as she was untied he ran to the exit where Jack was waiting for him, claws spread wide, his eyes burning bright. Upon seeing his attacker he didn't hesitate to send a cascade of blue and white flames in his directions.

Using some quick foot work the boy danced around the fire and thrust his sword to stab the devil like creature only to hit empty air as the springs of his adversary's boots propelled him skyward.

"Lance look out!"His sword warned. Turning around Lance raised his shield to black the incoming spout of fire. Lance backed away as Jack came closer, striking at him with his claws. Exchanging numerous blows Lance finally bashed his shield into Jack's chest, knocking him on his backside. Seizing his chance Lance quickly jumped on top of him and impaled through his neck, effectively ending the legend that was Spring Heeled Jack.

Lance lightly tossed his weapons behind him as they glowed blue before landing as people, a teenage girl and young boy. Looming over the evaporating body as it was soon replaced with a single red orb, floating in midair. The only remains of the would be kishen.

"That makes one hundred and seventy-four."Lance said, pulling off his hood to ruffle his untidy black hair."Who gets this one?"

"Mark got the last one so it's only fair if I get this one."The girl with blood red hair said.

"But if it wasn't for me Lance would've been cooked alive."Her little brother whined.

"Yeah well who was the one who actually finished the freak off?"She argued, giving her brother the death glare.

"She has a point Mark. Besides you did get the last one."Lance pointed out, cleaning his glasses."Now hurry up Veronica your dinners getting cold."

She grinned in delight as she took hold of the kishen egg, opened her mouth wide and swallowed it whole. Giving a satisfied "ah" as her brother pouted.

"Come on."Lance said."Let's go inform Lord Death of our progress."

They walked to the nearest window they could find. Breathing hot steam onto the window Lance neatly inscribed the numbers 42-42-564 as the glass began to shimmer and glow.

"Greetings Lord Death."Lance said, addressing the grim reaper himself."Meister Lance Rodriguez reporting for duty sir."

"Oh hello Lance."The reaper said in his flamboyant voice."How goes it in Liverpool?"

"The mission was successful and Spring Heeled Jack has met justice sir."

"Good good."The death god said as he rocked back and forth.

"Lord Death. If you don't mind me asking I would like to know how the repairs on Death City are coming."

"Well its back in Nevada."He chuckled."But there's still work to be done, which reminds me I have something to tell you all."

"What?"Veronica asked suspiciously.

"Well you're all wanted back in Death City."He answered.

At the news both Veronica and Mark gasped. Only Lance kept his composure."What for sir?"He asked. He hadn't been to Death City in over two years when he and few other students selected to be part of an experiment to see if students could learn more if they spent all their time in the field, travelling from city to city getting as many kishen eggs as they could find. So why come back now?

"The experiment is over Lance. All of you are going to come back to attend at the DWMA like normal students."Lord Death explained.

"Cool! Will I get to see it transform into a robot?"Mark exclaimed, his blue eyes gleaming.

"Ha ha I'm afraid not kiddo, but if you're lucky you might see me use my world famous reaper chop on someone."Lord Death boasted.

"Whoa that is so awesome."Mark beamed in awe.

"Lord Death."Lance interrupted."When are we expected to be there?"

"By next week when classes resume."He answered matter-of-factly."Though you may want to familiarize yourself with the school's layout first. I'm sure Kidd would be happy to give you a tour."

"Kidd."Lance said, remembering his childhood friend."How's he doing? I heard he was injured by the kishen Asura."

"Kidd's fine. We reapers heal fast you know."

"Is he still obsessed with symmetry sir?"

"Afraid so."He sighed.

"Good. It'd be weird if he wasn't."Lance smirked."We will prepare to depart immediately sir."

"See you then."The not so grim reaper finished, waving goofily as the transmission faded.

"Lord Death sure is cool."Mark said as they made their way back to the hotel to pack for tomorrow's departure.

"Oi Lance who's KIdd?"Veronica asked.

"Lord Death's son."He answered with a yawn.

Both brother and sister where taken aback by this. Lord Death has a son. She thought. Confused as to how the big handed skeleton man could possibly produce an offspring.

"And how did you know him?"She inquired, casting her meister a sly glance.

"My father was a death scythe. And sometimes we visited their mansion in Death City." He replied nonchalantly."So we had to hang out a few times, he's a cool dude though….well most of the time."

"Wow Lord Death's mansion."Mark breathed in awe.

"Come on let's get to the hotel."Lance stated bluntly."Let's hurry up before we catch a cold."

* * *

Once they had everything they owned in three duffel bags they were ready to leave. Lord Death had already set up their flight by the time they woke up. Lance was going back to Death City, a place he would have rather forgotten, but he had to do what he had to do. He looked to his weapon partners, at the tough red haired girl in her leather jacket, camouflage cargo pants, and combat boots, to her little brother with his cartoony Lord Death T-shirt and khaki shorts.

They had met a few months after the experimental program had started when he was still searching for a weapon partner. Veronica had seemed to fit his needs but she came with a price. Her little brother would also have to be partnered with him. Lance grudgingly accepted, finding it surprisingly to link souls with the two. He had trained himself to fight with each one separately, together or without them if necessary.

The DWMA would be a whole new environment from their road lifestyle. As the plane began its ascent the meister wondered where they might live, if Lord Death would have a place for them or if they'd stay in the school.

_Oh well_. He thought. _I guess we'll find out when we get there_.

The next stop was Death City.

**This chapter is actually a rewrite so don't be confused if the next few chapters seem a little lackluster in comparison, I'll be rewriting them in the near future as well.**

**Until then read, review and whatever you crazy kids do these days.**


	2. The Trident Meister Felix

**(A/N)Chapter number 2 Read, review, and what not.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

* * *

Death the Kidd walked leisurely up through the guillotine pathway to his father's Death Room, spotting said reaper at the magical mirror he seemed to never get away from.

"See you then."The Grim Reaper stated jovially as he broke off the connection, turning to spot his son."Oh hiyah Kiddo. How's it goin?"

"All is well, Father."The young reaper said, taking a seat in the elaborately designed chair his father kept for him."You wanted to see me?"

"Yep, I wanted to let you know that some new students will be arriving next week"

"Some?"Kidd inquired, his interest roused.

"Uh huh seven to be precise."

_Ugh seven._ Kidd muttered internally._ Why couldn't there be eight? So close to eight_.

"Anyway they'll be joining you in class crescent moon so I want you to prepare them for when classes resume."

"As you wish Father."Kidd replied, accepting his assignment without protest.

"Also, you'll be happy to hear that one of the new student's is you're old friend Lance and his weapon partners Veronica and Marcus Arondight."

This news came as a shock to Kidd. He had not seen his friend in years and now he was suddenly joining his class, and he also had sibling weapons as well? That seemed very coincidental to Kidd.

"They'll all be staying in an apartment in the city."Lord Death continued."I'd like it if you introduced him to your friends, to help him adjust to school life."

Kidd simply nodded as he recalled Lance's extreme shyness around strangers when they were children. He would sometimes choke up completely, too nervous to even attempt to say a word. Kidd could just imagine the reactions Lance might receive from everyone. Out of all of Kidd's friends only one made him apprehensive for Lance's arrival.

_Black*Star_. Kidd thought. _Oh god._

"But don't worry kiddo."Lord Death said, reading his son's thoughts."Lance has grown up a lot since you last saw him. He's turned into quite the little meister while he's been gone. Almost made two death scythes."

"In fact all the new students are quite formidable. I believe they will do well in the DWMA."

"I'm sure they will Father."Lance agreed."Is there anything else I should know about them?"

"Hmm."His father said, deep in consideration."Nope not really….."

With that news Kidd summoned Beelzebub and made his way back to the Gallows Mansion. Upon approaching the door to his perfectly symmetrical home he paused for a moment to take in the beauty of it.

New students at the academy were always a rare thing and never in groups. He remained stuck in his reverie as he entered, finding his weapons in the living room. The eldest of the two, Liz, was watching a reality show while painting her nails as her younger sister Patti drew a sloppy giraffe with crayons. Both still adorned with bandages from the recent battle with Asura.

"Oh hi Kidd!"Patti screamed upon noticing her meister.

"And where have you been all morning?"Liz asked, quizzically raising her eyebrow.

"Father wished to discuss some important information."He stated in a business like tone.

"Yeah what kind of information?"The older pistol asked.

"The upcoming arrival of some new students to the DWMA."He said, taking a seat between them on the couch.

"Ooh new students."Patti giggled excitedly."We haven't had one of those since Crona."

"They'll join class crescent moon next Monday, when school reopens and the repairs are finished."Kidd added.

"How many are we talking about here Kidd?"Liz asked.

"Seven."Kidd grunted bitterly.

"What will they be like?"Patti wondered out loud.

"Father was reluctant to share information about them."Kidd said."Well most of them anyway."

"Whaddaya mean?"Liz questioned.

"Father informed me that a few of the students are an old friend of mine and his weapon partners."

"Hmm I didn't know you had any friends before you met us."Liz said uninterestedly, going back to panting her nails.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"The reaper demanded.

"Nothing you just never seemed the friend type is all."The pistol said defensively. Not meaning to offend her meister.

"Moving on….. Lance is going to be here tomorrow and Father wants me to give him a tour of the DWMA so be on your best behavior."

"How do you know this Lance guy anyway?"Liz inquired.

"His father was Father's last death scythe before Maka's dad."Kidd explained."And his mother was a four star meister."

"Just like Professor Stein."Patti chirped in awe.

"So what were you two like babysat together or something?"Liz asked, amused at the thought.

"As a matter of fact yes, we also shared a private tutor for a few years."Kidd answered, ignoring her smirk.

"Why'd he leave?"

"I'm not sure."Kidd confessed, shrugging."Father told me he was studying abroad for the last two years."

"What's he like?"Patti asked.

"Well I haven't seen him in years Patti weren't you listening?"

"Of course silly. I mean before he left."

"Hmm well Lance was always a bit eccentric."

"You're one to talk."Liz snickered.

"He was terribly shy around strangers."Lance continued, still ignoring his weapon's rude side comments."That's why Father wants me to introduce him to everybody without him getting too nervous and freaking out."

"Jeez sounds like another Crona."Liz muttered.

"He's a great guy once you get past that trust me."Kidd said."But who knows, he may have grown out of it since I last saw him. Father did say that he's a very talented meister now and that both of his weapons are close to becoming death scythes."

"What kind of weapons are they?"Liz inquired.

Yet again all the reaper could do was shrug in response to the barrage of questions shot at him from the two pistols today.

"All I know is that they are siblings by the name of Marcus and Veronica Arondight and that they'll be staying in the city in an apartment with Lance."Kidd clarified."Now if the interrogation is over everybody is probably waiting for us at the basketball court. Come on let's go"

It was a short walk from Gallows Mansion to the basketball so they were in no time. Finding everyone, with the exclusion of Maka, in an intense game between Soul and Crona against Black*Star and Tsubaki. Looking at all his bruised and bandaged friends Kidd couldn't help but feel a bit more thankful for his advanced reaper body. He had already healed and was back in tip top condition.

Kidd hung at the sidelines as his weapons joined the game. It felt so surreal to be playing basketball in peace after all the chaos of the previous weeks when they were still fighting the kishen. But here they were same as always relaxing, having fun without a care in the world.

"YAHOOOO!"Black*Star screamed as he performed a slam dunk, effectively winning the game.

"Man losing is so uncool."Soul mumbled as he went to sit next to his meister who had her head glued to a hard cover copy of Art of War."Maybe you could play next game."He suggested with little hope.

"You know I'm no good at it Soul."Maka responded, not bothering to take her gaze off of the book.

"Come on."Soul begged."A little fun never hurt anyone Maka."

Something similar to "go away" was Maka's annoyed response to her weapon's pestering. Soul, seeing that this was going nowhere, quickly gave up and turned his attention elsewhere.

"Yo Kidd what's up?"Soul asked the reaper in a friendly greeting.

"Nothing much," Kidd answered, not seeing a need to inform the others of Lance just yet, they'd find out on their own soon enough anyways.

"Oh well. Hey Black*Star, you, me and Patti this time."Soul shouted to get the blue haired ninja's attention as they started a new game with Crona sitting out with Maka to keep the teams even. The rest of the day proceeded normally from there with only a few OCD induced breakdowns and Maka chops dealt. As the sun started to fall asleep the gang all went their separate ways. Still basking in the victory over the kishen, their bruises were a small price to pay for the peace that now lingered.

All was good for the young students of Death Weapon Meister Academy.

* * *

Lord Death stood alone in his death room, staring at his mirror in the center. Watching as a young boy wielding a trident fought viciously against a machete swinging man in a hockey mask. Implementing various evasive maneuvers, the blonde boy narrowly avoided becoming an amputee.

Hacking in frustration, the masked man continued his assault against the meister, startled as his face became acquainted with a foot, pushing him back several feet, which was more than enough distance for the blonde to lunge his trident into the man's stomach, grinning wildly as his opponent fell.

A long, pale arm materialized, replacing the trident's tip, reached out and grabbed the remaining soul before an entire person from the waist up appeared hanging on the base of the staff held by the young meister.

A short haired brunette clutched the soul in her palm before stuffing it into her mouth greedily, moaning in satisfaction at the delicacy she was now digesting.

"Well that was fun."Her tall, lanky meister yawned, stretching his arms.

"That marks eighty-seven."The trident said in an official sort of voice, now in her human form.

"Coolio twelve more and one witch soul to go."He cheered lazily.

"Hopefully we don't goof up on the witch and lose all our souls."She said bitterly." again."

"Oh come on Trish that was like a lifetime ago."The blonde pleaded."And how was I supposed to know she could shoot lasers?"

"For one you could have read the dossier Lord Death gave us that said "BEWARE SHOOTS LASERS"Trish screeched."But no, reading is too boring for the great Felix Dodds."

"If you saw that then why wouldn't you warn me ahead of time?"Felix countered with a few accusations of his own.

Lord Death just sighed and shook his head at the two bickering youths, wondering how they would fit in at the DWMA.

Felix Dodds and Trishula Mittsu, two more of the experimental traveler students, they had already been informed of their relocation to Death City.

"God you better shape up once we get in Death Weapon Meister Academy."Trish nagged."Don't expect me to carry your weight around."

"Hey who swings who around all day?"Felix said."Can we just get the hell out of Crystal Cove please? I'm pretty sure that plant I fell in was poison ivy."

"Fine, come on the train leaves in an hour."Trish stated as they made their way to the train station.

Lord Death didn't know how he was going to handle those two.


	3. Nightmares and Introductions

Lance stood in half darkness. His eyes strained to see in the dark hallway he now resided in. outside a storm was raging, lightning flashed and thunder roared, adding the occasional burst of light to the gloomy setting. A dark silhouette stood at the end of the hallway, shrouded in the shadows, chuckling at some unknown joke it wasn't about to share.

Instinctively Lance reached for Veronica, only for his hand to meet empty air. He was alone.

"You've grown quite fond of them haven't you?"The man asked, not bothering to cease his chuckling.

Lance remained unresponsive, preparing to fight or flight if the need arose.

"Ah, but they'll leave soon enough. Or be taken away from you."The shadowy figure cackled."Just like everyone else in your life."

"Shut up."Lance growled, using his false voice he used to intimidate enemies."Shut your damn mouth before I close it for you."

"Oh so the child speaks."He applauded enthusiastically."Looks like I struck a nerve."

Lance clenched his fist. Mentally cursing himself for falling for the man's goading. He couldn't afford to make such amateur mistakes.

"You need them don't you?"The shadow continued, stepping forward but still not close enough for Lance to see clearly.

"I don't need anything."Lance daunted, venom seething from every syllable. Lance didn't know who this man thought he was, but he definitely didn't know him at all.

"Is that so?"The man inquired as another bolt of lightning flashed, revealing the tanned skin man, appareled in a fancy pinstripe suit. A thin black moustache lied atop the insane grin that was spattered across his face. Only his eyes remained unseen beneath the shadow of his fedora.

"Then let's see how you react to this."He beamed, snapping his fingers as simultaneous screams erupted from across the hall. The anguished screams broke through Lance's defenses as he recognized them as the agonized screams from a small boy and a girl he knew very well. With ferocious rage Lance threw himself and tackled the laughing tormentor.

"What have you done!"Lance cried, grabbing the crazed psychopath by the collar."Tell me where they or now!"

More laughter was his only response."Your dependency is such a weakness. It must run in the family."Even more laughter followed."What will you do now? Who will tolerate your miserable self now? It must be driving you absolutely mad."The laughter broke into small chuckles as the man clutched at his sides, pained from all the laughter.

The hallway turned to red as the final scream died out. All remorse left Lance's mind as it was quickly replaced by an insane hatred. His fist smashed repeatedly into the man's face as he continued to laugh. His amusement echoing off the walls as his face became bloodied and bruised, engulfing the entire house in madness. None of it stopped Lance as he pummeled his fist until all that remained was a monotonous thud from his knuckle hitting skull. Upon examining his blood coated hands Lance really couldn't help but laugh at his own handy work. A high, malicious, laugh of merriment as blood red tears began to streak down his face.

It was all just so funny.

* * *

Lance's eyes popped wide open as he awoke from his most dreaded of dreams. Quickly scanning the seats to his left, he found his partners, both in peaceful sleep. Seeing them alive and well, Veronica snoring, relief over took him.

Just a dream. He told himself. Just a stupid, scary, messed up dream.

Turning to his right, he stared out the plane window. His gaze met only with complete and utter darkness. He checked his watch. 3:15 it read in green digital numbers.

Just great. He thought. How the hell am I supposed to sleep now?"

As it turned out, sleep eluded him for the remainder of the eight hour flight, resulting in one very grumpy Lance. When his weapons asked about his weariness, the swordsman dismissively blamed it on flight sickness.

The searing Nevada sun was an unfamiliar burden to the English born weapons, but to Lance it just felt like home. He had missed it during his months spent in the colder parts Europe.

"It`s so bloody hot."Veronica whined, as they made their way to the entrance of the academy.

"If you think it's bad now."Lance chuckled."You're gonna love it in summer."

"It gets worse, Christ."She swore bitterly.

"Okay, let's set a few ground rules."Lance said, turning around to address his weapons."First things first, Ronny put this on."He handed her a small hair band.

"Umm….. Why?"Veronica asked confused, stretching the small band with her fingers.

"Because," Lance explained."Since you insist on cutting your own hair, it has become terribly uneven, and I fear it may send Kidd into a homicidal rage. I know I have to resist going berserk myself."

"Are you sure you're not over exaggerating this symmetry thing just a little bit?"She questioned.

"Just put on the scrunchie."Lance ordered, as Veronica grudgingly obliged.

"And second," Lance continued."Do not, I repeat, do not mention his hair no matter how curious you may be."

"What's wrong with his hair?"Mark inquired.

"Trust me Mark you'll know when you see it."Lance assured.

"With that out of the way, just try not to embarrass me too much."The Meister grinned, as he pushed the double doors open.

Entering the halls Lance felt a chill of apprehension make its way up his spine, despite his feigned confidence. In truth he was nervous out of his wits. But he had learned to mask his true emotions shortly after he had left the city two years previous.

From the corner of his eye Lance spotted a boy around his age walking forward to welcome them. The boy was clad in a black business suit with white patches and a skull tie, three white stripes wrapped around the left side of his onyx hair.

Veronica and Marcus remained silent as the striped haired boy approached Lance, staring him up and down with his large golden eyes.

"Kidd."Lance said.

"Lance."The grim reaper's son said in return.

All tension was suddenly sucked as the two slapped hands in eight quick movements, all vertical or horizontal. Like some form of secret hand shake.

"Long time no see."Lance said clasping Kidd's shoulder.

"Indeed, what have you been up to these past few years?"Kidd asked, smiling at the sight of his oldest friend.

"Nothing much, just gallivanting through Europe, fighting monsters, collecting souls, you know the usual tourist activities."Lance joked.

"And these are the Arondights I presume?"Kidd inquired.

"Correct, this is Veronica my rapier."Lance said indicating his confused partners. "And this little tyke is Marcus, my loyal shield."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The young reaper greeted formally, extending his arm to shake."I'm Death the Kidd, but everyone calls me Kidd."

Veronica hesitantly shook his hand, noting the skull ring."Nice to meet you Kidd."She said, trying desperately not to stare at the stripes.

Marcus on the other hand made no visible effort to suppress his enthrallment at the young man's hair, staring wide eyed directly at the strange lines as he shook his hand.

"Not many people are so young when they enter the academy."Kidd noted."There are always exceptions though."

"Now how about the tour?"

Kidd then proceeded with showing them every nook and cranny of the large school, stopping every once in a while to recount some random facts about the building or to compliment something he noticed as especially symmetrical. He eventually led them to a strange room with a guillotine hallway filled with cross tombstones that he called the "DeathRoom" where Lord Death stood awaiting their arrival.

"Hiya Kids."Lord Death beamed.

"Greetings Father."Kidd said addressing his father.

Again Veronica wondered how in the world the cartoony reaper had ever produced such a human looking a child, subtracting the gold eyes and the lines in his hair, of course.

"Tell me guys and be honest."Lord Death asked."What do you think of my school?"

"It`s awesome! Mark shouted.

"Aw, that puts some warmth in this old heart of mine."The grim reaper said cheerfully, patting Mark fondly on the head.

"It's a contribution to modern architecture sir."Lance added.

"Um, yeah what they said."Veronica said pointlessly, lacking her brother's enthusiasm and Lance's flattery.

"You're all too kind." Lord Death said happily.

"But back to business, here take these." He said handing a large pile of papers into Lance's hands."You'll need to feel out all the necessary registration papers, plus I threw in a pamphlet for some extracurricular activities and clubs."

Lance quickly flipped threw a few of the pages, spotting the expected athletic activities and social clubs. Along with a few unexpected surprises such as advanced weapon resonating, dissecting today, and swordsmanship 101. The last one caught Lance's attention.

_Hmm_ Lance thought _Could be worth checking out i suppose_.

"And" Lord Death added "You're going to need these as well."Protruding from the grip of the reapers foam like hands were three shiny badges, two for weapons and one a Meister's."They're required for certification."

Veronica quickly snatched her badge out of the large white hand and pinned it to the front of her leather jacket, turning to check her reflection in Lord Death's communication mirror. Seemingly satisfied with the result she let out a pleased."Wicked"

Sliding the stack of papers under his shoulder, Lance opened the badge to inspect the information. All the personal information seemed to be in order. They even had correct measurements for his height, and weight.

As he put the badge into his jean pocket, Lance noticed two newcomers enter the Death Room, a red haired man wearing a plain business suit and a lady with shoulder length blonde hair and an eye patch in similar apparel. The two seemed to be discussing the man's daughter.

"I just can't see why she doesn`t love."The man sobbed franticly."My own baby girl and she won't even talk to me."

"There, there Spirit."The eye patch lady said in a comforting tone."I'm sure it's not as bad as you make it out to be."

"No, it's worse."Spirit whimpered as he noticed how full the room was."Oh sorry Lord Death we had no idea you were entertaining company."

"Not a problem Spirit, Marie."Lord Death stated."Kidd was just about to escort these students to their new apartment."

"Of course Father."Kidd replied."Now if you just follow me."He continued as he led the trio out of the Death Room. Once they were out of earshot the adults began to talk.

"Who were they?"Spirit asked suspiciously, wiping the last traces of tears from his eyes.

"As I said they're students here at DWMA."Lord Death answered.

"Didn't look like any students I've ever seen."The death scythe stated.

"That's because they are new here."Lord Death explained."They only just got here this morning."

"What are their names?"Marie inquired.

"The girl and the child are Veronica and Marcus Arondight, they're weapons from London."Lord Death said."And the boy is their Meister Lance Rodriguez."

Marie let out a gasp "You mean Damon's son Lance?"She proclaimed, her eye wide

"The very same."The grim reaper said, his comical voice not masking a hint of remorse.

"How terrible, that poor boy."Marie grimaced.

The red haired death scythe stood awkwardly scratching his head, not knowing what the other two were discussing."Um….whose Damon?"

"You don't know?"The hammer death scythe questioned quizzically.

"Well….no."Spirit confessed.

"Damon Rodriguez."Lord Death stated."Was your predecessor Spirit."

A simple "Oh" was Lord Death`s current death scythe`s only response to the revelation. He had never once given thought to who he had replaced when his wife, no his ex-wife, had turned him into a death scythe."But what happened to him?"

"He was killed." Lord Death said with a sort of faraway look to him."Shortly after his wife Natsumi died in battle."

"That's horrible."Spirit said."You mean to tell me that both of that boy's parents died while serving under you, and he still wants to be a Meister?"

"Pretty much."The Grim reaper said simply.

"Man."Spirit mused."I don't get kids these days."

The other two merely nodded their agreement.


	4. Meeting New Friends

Their new apartment was relatively close to the academy so they were there in no time. It was a small apartment complex on Death Avenue. Kidd mentioned something about a friend of his living just a few blocks away.

Veronica was still processing the fact that the street was called Death Avenue, when the young reaper gave Lance the key to room 29, their new home. The idea of having an actual home after traveling for so long perplexed her.

The cozy little apartment contained a living room, a kitchen/dining room, a single bathroom, and two bedrooms.

_Wait._ She realized. _Two beds and three people don't add up._

"I hope the rooms are satisfactory, it s the best my father could find on such short notice." Kidd explained to Lance."I'll be back to check in little while with a few people I'd like you to meet."

"See you then."Lance waved as the Kid summoned a skateboard and flew away.

"Did that skateboard just fly?"Veronica asked astonished.

"Yeah, that's beelzebub."Lance yawned."His dad got it for him when he was eleven."

Mark turned to his sister with wanting eyes.

"Not a chance."She stated bluntly answering his unasked question.

The nine year old looked heartbroken as he watched the son of death fade away in the horizon. Turning her attention away from her pouting little brother the sword addressed her Meister.

"You know there are only two rooms, right?"Veronica inquired.

"Well…"Lance fumbled."I figured that maybe you and Mark could share a bed?"

It only took a moment under her cold stare before he gave a defeated sigh and agreed to sleep on the couch.

"How gentlemanly of you," She snickered as she yanked off the accursed scrunchie and flung it into the trash, shaking her scarlet hair in every possible direction around her neck.

Lance just heaved another sigh as he took a seat on his new bed and flipped on the television, scrolling through the numerous channels before settling on some superhero movie. He still hadn't had any sleep and occasionally was startled by the bobbing of his head as it drooped forward.

"Oi Lance."Veronica announced."Me and Mark are gonna go see a bit of the city, wanna come with?"

The drowsy Meister gently shook his head and removed his glasses, "Nah. I think I'm just going to stay here for a while and get some shut eye."He said as he plopped a pillow down and rested his head on it.

"See you later then."She said as she opened the door.

"Yeah bye," Was Lance's mumbled words to his departing weapons as he pulled a blanket over himself.

Death City proved to be a large and confusing place for the Arodights. Veronica had underestimated how death oriented the city really was; Death Avenue, Grim Street, Reaper park, the absurd names just went on and on. She was beginning to think maybe Lord Death named them himself, she figured it was his city after all.

They came to a street corner stand where a man was selling ice cream cones and decided to purchase a cone each, chocolate for her and vanilla for Mark. The duo continued their peaceful saunter around the city, no real destination in mind.

The ice cream was a revelation in the desert town. the laughing sun beat down on the city like a drum.

The city was indeed extravagant, high arching towers were abundant in the skull filled town. The narrow streets intertwined each other like a labyrinth. The two were soon lost in the maze of buildings and streets.

"Maybe we should ask for directions."Mark stated, as they tried with no avail to retrace their steps.

He was right and she knew it, she'd been too stubborn to admit it herself but they were hopelessly lost within the winding cobblestone paths of Death City. London had been so much easier to navigate, so simpler than this desert town under the Nevada sun.

She also knew that calling Lance would be a useless endeavor, he was more than likely still asleep and thus his seldom used phone would be turned off until he awoke.

"Fine," Veronica moaned as they stepped into a grocery store to ask for directions. A girl around her age was stocking up on as much food as she could get, she wore a long tan dress hanging below her knee. Her long black hair was stationed in a neat pony tail.

Discarding the remains of her ice cream cone, she tapped the girl gingerly on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Hello we're new in town and we were wondering if you wouldn't mind giving us a few directions?"Veronica asked politely.

"Of course," The girl smiled, extending her free hand."My names Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, where do you need to go?"

"Our apartment at Death Avenue," Veronica answered, shaking Tsubaki's hand."And I'm Veronica, Veronica Arodight."

"And I'm Mark."The shield stated as he introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."Tsubaki said kindly."What bring you two to Death City?"

Veronica indicated the new shiny weapon badge pinned to the front of her leather jacket."Just got enrolled this morning," She pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Oh I see."Tsubaki said."Do you know what class you're going to be in?"

"Hmm. class crescent moon I think."She said, receiving a nod of confirmation from Mark.

"That's my class. I'm a weapon just like you." Tsubaki said."Is Mark your Meister?"

Veronica couldn't help but snort at the very notion of her younger brother swinging her around like Lance.

"No Marks a weapon just like his big sis."She explained."Isn't that right Mark?"

"Yup, I'm a shield."Mark stated proudly.

"I've never met a shield before."Tsubaki noted."Are you a shield as well Veronica?"

"Nope, I'm a just a sword or "rapier" if you ask my Meister."Veronica answered, making quotation gestures around rapier.

"I'm a dark arm."Tsubaki said."That means I can transform into a multitude of weapon forms, though my standard form is a kusarigama."

"Kusarigama?"Veronica repeated questioningly.

"It's basically two mini scythes connected by a single chain."Tsubaki explained.

"Oh, I think I may have seen something like that on the tele once."Veronica said.

"Well I'm going to go buy these then we'll go find your apartment."She said as she turned to the checkout counter to purchase her groceries.

Tsubaki was able to navigate them through the maze of streets with ease, making casual small talk as she guided them along the many twist and turns."So you're from the United Kingdom, I was there on a mission once."

"Mmhmm. We met Lance a little less than a year ago."Veronica said."He told us he was part of this experimental travelling student project thing and that he had spent the last year looking for a weapon partner, quite unsuccessfully I might add."

"Because nobody wanted him," Mark chipped in.

"You know it's not very typical for a Meister to use two weapons."Tsubaki pondered aloud."That's why most Meisters only have a single weapon partner. It's easier for them to perform soul resonance that way."

"Believe me Lance is anything but "typical."Veronica chortled."Trust me on that."

"Yeah he's a bit of an oddball."Mark added good heartedly."But in a good way."

"He sounds like a great guy."Tsubaki said gently as they approached Death Avenue.

"Thanks Tsubaki."Veronica said."But I think we can make it back from here."

"You're welcome. I'll see you when school starts."She said as she waved goodbye, before heading in the opposite direction.

"She was nice."Mark commented while they headed up the stairs back to room 29.

"Yeah she was."Veronica agreed."She must have a really nice Meister."

A single turn of the key led the siblings to see that Lance was up and about, rearranging all of his possessions. He was feeling particularly jovial after taking his relaxing snooze.

"Hey guys."The young sword and shield Meister greeted as his weapons returned from there exploration of their new environment."Make any new friends?"

"We sure did."Mark replied."We met a katamarigami."

"He means kusarigama."Veronica corrected."And her name was Tsubaki, we met her at the market."

"And yet you bought no food."Lance scolded."What, did you think that Lord Death would have gone to such lengths as to stock our fridge?"

"Um… well no."Veronica confessed, the thought of groceries had entirely slipped her mind while they were out, only now did she feel the low rumble coming from her empty stomach.

Lance suddenly flashed her a devious smile, "Well you should have."He said as he pulled the refrigerator door open revealing an overloading amount of food, drinks, and sweets.

"Even got us ice cream," Lance said, revealing a half eaten fudgsicle from behind his back.

"That bloke did all this just for us?"Veronica asked skeptically."Seems a bit much doesn't it?"

"I'm sure all the other new students will be getting the same treatment."Lance said before jamming the remainder of the fudgesicle into his mouth.

"Who cares? we got ice cream!"Mark proclaimed as he began rummaging through the freezer.

Veronica simply sighed at the childish nature of the men in her life, of course Mark _was_ a child but Lance was also an occasional victim to foolish immaturity. Lance was an eternal enigma to the young Brit, often reclusive or apathetic but at other times hyper and overly energetic, he was indescribable really.

Whenever she asked about his peculiar personality type he'd give the same answer, that it was part of his psychosis. _Psychosis, what the hell did he mean by that?_She thought_._

Another thing was how obsessed he was with "staying in character"' as he called it, he was constantly practicing new voices and accents like the deep voice he used when fighting kishen eggs and other enemies. He even asked for notes from them on how to perfect his British accent.

"Hey, earth to Veronica."Lance said, pulling the sword out of her thoughts."Are you listening?"

"Oh…uh I'm sorry what were you saying?"Veronica stammered.

"I was saying that Kid and his guests are going to be here any minute."Lance announced."So I think it would be prudent if we started preparing some sort of meal for them."

"Meal?"Veronica questioned."Like what?"

"I don't know something simple like spaghetti or something."Lance said, shrugging."So let's get started."

It was a moment before either of them made a single movement.

"Well?"Lance inquired impatiently.

"What? I'm following your lead."Veronica said defensively.

"I don't know the first thing about cooking."Lance confessed."I was depending on you."

"What made you think I knew a thing about bloody cooking?"Veronica almost shouted.

"Calm down Ronnie."Lance said in a soothing voice."I'm sure we can figure this out together, I mean how hard can cooking be?"

They were about to learn. Lance quickly found noodles and sauce in the pantry, which was also stocked to the brim, and got to work. He grabbed a large pot and began boiling water to dump the noodles in it, while Veronica began work on the meat balls, tossing a few wads of meat onto the pan she rolled them around repeatedly with a spatula.

They took great pride with their work. Lance continued to stir his noodles until he was sure they were ready before dumping them into a pasta bowl and adding the sauce. Veronica on the other hand was in a rush to finish her meat balls as soon as possible, she quickly finished and contributed them to the finished project.

They gave it to Mark as an impartial judge to their craftsmanship. They waited in anticipation to hear of the fruits of their labor.

The young shield slowly stabbed a fork into the spaghetti, slowly twisting it to garnish a maximum amount of noodles before lifting it to his mouth and inserting it slowly inside, he did everything rather slowly. He gulped them down before taking a bite from one of the meat balls, still agonizingly slow.

His reaction wasn't immediate. He paused for a mere moment before pushing it away in disgust.

"Barely edible," He stated bluntly. "The noodles are soggy and the meat balls are doughy."

"That's it. I'm ordering pizza."Lance said angrily as he went to retrieve the phone from its deck.

Just as he got up a knock hit the door eight times. The three gulped as it was hit another eight times in a precise rhythm. Lance had no choice but to open the door revealing Kid and two similarly dressed girls, they looked like they could be sisters in their matching cowgirl outfits. One, the older it appeared, was tall with dirty blonde hair drooping around her shoulders, the other was more around Kid's size with short blonde hair. They both had the same bright blue eyes.

Lance tried not to stare at their very well endowed chest as he welcomed them all into their humble abode.

"Hello Lance."Kid greeted formally." I'd like to introduce you to my weapons Liz and Patti Thompson."He said indicating the two girls behind him.

The taller one, Liz, politely gave a small bow to Lance as she introduced herself to him and his weapons.

Patti on the other hand was much different in her approach in making a first impression.

"So you're the one who was babysat with Kidd right?"Patti inquired.

Everyone in the room simultaneously sweat dropped at the blonde's impulsive question.

"Patti!"Kid and Liz yelled in unison.

"What? I just asked him a question."Patti whined as Liz escorted her to the corner to give her a brief explanation on proper social etiquette.

"I apologize for my weapon's rudeness."Kid grieved."She can be rather impulsive."

"Don't mention it."Lance said nervously.

"I see you've prepared dinner."Kid stated, spotting the spaghetti in the kitchen.

Lance and Veronica both mentally cursed as their worst fear came to life.

"Um…yeah…. we just made it."Lance stammered.

"Good I'm starving."Liz muttered as she took a seat on the couch next to Patti.

"Mark set the table."Veronica grimaced."And I'll heat up some tea."

"Okay."Mark obeyed apprehensively.

"Sis, they talk funny."Patti pointed out from her place on the couch.

"That's because they have accents Patti. Sometimes people from other places talk differently."Liz explained.

"Oh."Patti responded with curiosity."Do you think to them we sound like we have accents?"

Mark quickly set the table while Veronica prepared the tea. Lance scooped a fair amount of the spaghetti on each plate as the guest took their seats.

Veronica returned moments later, brandishing a kettle filled with fresh tea. Lance by now was accustomed to drinking tea with his European companions. The other members however did not share his familiarity with the beverage. Kid accepted his without question of course, but Liz and Patti eyed their cups skeptically before hesitantly taking a sip.

Lance instinctively added several spoonfuls of sugar into the creamy brown drink in front of him before bringing it to his lips and taking a large gulp.

"Ronnie you've simply outdone yourself on the tea as always."Lance curtseyed.

The same could not be said about the spaghetti, though they tried their hardest not to show it Lance could see how everyone winced with every bite of the atrocious noodles. The conversation around the table was sparse and mainly consisted of idle chit-chat things like symmetry, fashion, and African wildlife seemed to be the main centers of discussion, none of which Lance found particularly captivating.

As the night went on the air around the apartment slowly became duller as Kid desperately tried to keep the room alive. Lance awkwardly played along for old time's sake if nothing more. He was never good at dealing with strangers and tried hard to stay calm around the unfamiliar Thompson sisters.

Kid thought the night was going well considering the people he was dealing with, Patti hadn't had another rude outburst since her initial encounter with Lance, and he seemed to be much more comfortable around strangers than he had once been or at least was able to cope around them.

Yet in spite of his best efforts all the life seemed to be draining from the room, he supposed it was getting rather late and was about to give up and go home when something unexpected happened, something extremely unexpected.

He and Lance were discussing the final battle that defeated the kishen.

"So it was you and who else?"Lance questioned half-heartedly.

"Maka Albarn and her scythe Soul Eater landed the final blow."Kid explained animatedly."But only after he was weakened by me and my friend Black-."

He was interrupted by a loud thud at the door.

"Who could that be?"Lance asked.

Kid could only shrug before another thud, louder than the first, hit the door. Lance moved to answer it but it was a pointless effort for at the third thud the door flew off its hinges, nearly hitting Lance in the process.

"YAHOO!"

* * *

**(A/N)Sorry for the cliffhanger, make sure to review!**


	5. A Challange Accepted

**Once again let me reiterate that I in fact do not own Soul Eater.**

* * *

Everyone stood in silence as the blue haired assailant ran into the room and jumped onto the dining room table, striking a fancy pose.

The boy was clad in a sleeveless black shirt, white and black pants, and fingerless gloves. A large star tattoo was engraved onto his right arm.

"I, the magnificent Black Star!"He shouted, indicating himself."Have come to challenge you!"

Lance had to scan the room before noticing the ninja was pointing at him.

"Me?"Lance questioned nervously, though fighting irritation at the rude ninja's rude entrance.

"Are you the new student?"Black star asked in return.

"One of them, yes."Lance answered blandly.

"Then yes!"He screamed, returning to his pose.

Lance turned to the others in the room for help, receiving only shrugs from his weapons, hysterical laughter from Patti, an annoyed sigh from Liz, and an agitated glare from Kidd aimed right at Black Star.

"What the hell are you doing here Black star?"Kid hissed angrily.

"Oh hey Kid. Didn't see you there," Black star said casually."As to what I'm doing here, isn't it obvious? I'm challenging the new kid to a fight, duh."

"A fight?"Lance repeated dumbfounded."What? Like a duel or something?'

"How'd you even hear about Lance?"Kid inquired, holding his temper in check."Father hasn't told anyone about the new students yet."

"Tsubaki told me."Black star stated simply.

"The lady who gave us directions?"Veronica said."You're her meister?"

As if on q the chain scythe came running into the apartment right through the entrance were the door had once been.

"I'm sorry Kidd."She said as she saw his scowl."I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen."

"It's okay Tsubaki."Kid sated darkly."It's not you whom I am angry with."

Lance's head was practically spinning with all these new developments being thrust at him, he felt the cool hands of anxiety reach their way around him as he started to panic.

"Come on Black Star."Tsubaki begged."Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"No it can't."Black Star answered."This is going to be my greatest performance yet."

_Performance_. Lance thought. This just got intriguing.

Pointing again directly at Lance the ninja continued his loud speech.

"What do you say new Kid? Are you man enough to face a star as big as me?"Black Star challenged, flexing and striking new poses every few seconds, as if he couldn't decide on which one made him look the most daunting.

_Okay you've been preparing this one for awhile so it should be good._ Lance thought. _Let's put it to the test_.

"Well?"Black Star asked again.

Lance held a calm expression cover his face as he answered.

"When and where?"Was his short answer.

"Lance you don't have to do this."Kid said, not sure where this change in demeanor had come from.

"Yeah, but I want to."Lance stated confidently."I want to avenge my broken door. It hadn't hurt anybody and it didn't deserve what it got."

Kid stared exasperated at the boy he thought he knew, never in all his memory had Lance been so bold.

"Fine, but if you two are going to do this your' going to do it right."Kid explained."Saturday at eight a.m. outside the academy with an official referee."

"Sounds good to me," Lance nodded.

"How about you Black Star?"Kid asked.

"Oh I'll be there."Black Star said ominously."Be ready for one hell of a show."

_Ooh scary._ Lance fought the urge to say as he kept his mask of false certainty on.

"And Black Star," Kid added."You will be repairing they're door you just broke."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Black Star said while Mark stuck his tongue out behind his back.

"I'm really sorry about this."Tsubaki said to Lance before leaving."I guess this wasn't a very good first meeting, huh?"

"It's of no consequence I assure you."Lance remarked."I don't hold you guilty for the arrogance of your meister."

"I'm Tsubaki by the way."She greeted, holding out her hand."It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Lance Rodriguez."Lance said as he took her hand and gently placed a soft kiss upon it."Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."

Lance knew his ploy was successful as Tsubaki's cheeks were tinted red.

"You're too Kind."She breathed.

Black Star clenched his fist as Tsubaki's cheeks continued to blush.

"Just wait until Saturday."Black Star grumbled as he made his way out of the apartment.

"I really should get going."Tsubaki stated faintly.

"If you must then I shall not hold you."Lance grieved."Till we meet again. My dear camellia blossom."

Tsubaki blushed even redder at his knowledge of Japanese, bowing politely before following her meister out the place where the door once resided.

"I am so going to kick his ass this weekend."Black Star promised, clenching his fist.

Lance smirked to himself as his soon to be adversaries departed into the moonlit night. That couldn't have gone better he thought.

It wasn't until their departure that Lance noticed everyone's eyes firmly fixed on him, including a pair of very angry looking green eyes stabbing daggers into him, the floor suddenly seemed very captivating to the young meister.

"Well you've certainly changed."Kid said as he patted his old friend on the back."Liz, Patti I think we'll make our leave now."

"But things were just starting to get good."Patti whined.

"Come on Patti It's getting late."Liz said.

"Oh fine."Patti pouted as they left.

"Farewell Lance, see you soon."Kid said as he and his weapons left.

"Yeah bye."Lance mumbled.

With the guests gone Lance heaved a sigh and plopped himself onto the couch. He felt he handled the situation well, which was a rare occurrence for him.

Veronica and Mark watched as Lance gathered his thoughts, pressing his fingers together, he leaned forward and silently began muttering things to himself under his breath. The same way he planned an attack on a kishen, Veronica noted.

"Well."Mark said awkwardly."That was unexpected."

"Indeed it was."Lance agreed distantly.

"Damn right it was."Veronica growled."That lunatics gonna get what's coming to him."

"And you."She added pointing accusingly at Lance."What the bloody hell was that? Acting all cocky and coy? And then kissing her hand? That's not like you at all."

With this Lance stood up letting the light refract on his glasses in a menacing manner as he spoke.

"Yes it isn't."He mused."But they don't know that do they?"

"What are you talking about?"Veronica questioned suspiciously.

"It's very simple Ronnie."Lance grinned."It was sabotage."

This got him only confused looks from the weapons.

"Think about it."Lance explained."That Black Star guy comes barging over here, kicks in the door, and makes a long winded speech about his own greatness, an obvious attempt at intimidation if I ever saw one."

"But instead of fear I responded with confidence and determination which caught him off guard. And flirting with his weapon was just the icing on the cake, did you see how angry he looked? That'll make him reckless when we have our little duel."

Veronica was absolutely baffled. She had no idea how she had been paired up with someone who thought like that.

"You realize your insane right?"She asked.

"Without a doubt," He answered indifferently."But that's neither here nor there. The point being that before we've even started I have already struck and inflicted major damage without so much as lifting a finger."

"Lance."Mark beamed."You're an evil genius!"

Lance fondly ruffled the shield's muddy brown hair.

"I most certainly am."Lance agreed happily.

"Bollox."Veronica sighed."Come on Mark let's get to bed, evil genius here needs his beauty sleep after all."

"Why must you be cruel?"Lance asked.

"I don't know."Veronica answered."Why must you be so hopelessly unstable?"

"Many, many reasons," Lance said as they made their ways to their rooms.

_Far too many to count._ Lance thought as he attempted to sleep in the chilly room with no door, fully exposed to the elements.

* * *

Felix and Trish were exiting the train station Thursday night, Felix was currently giving Trish the silent treatment so there was no words between them at the moment.

Waiting for them was a man in a plain muscle shirt and shorts with a headband over his corn rolls, oh yeah his skin was also blue, that seemed worth mentioning.

In his hands was a large sign bearing their names.

"You wouldn't happen to be the kids written on this here sigh, would you?"He asked as they stepped in front of him.

"Correct."Trish answered.

"Greetings then," The blue man stated."I'm Sid Barrett. I'll be your escort to the Mittsu's estate."

"Ooh an estate, you never told me you had an estate Trish."Felix said excitedly.

"I never saw how it was any of your business."Trish stated coldly.

"None of my business huh?"Felix inquired."I guess that makes sense I mean it's not like I'm your meister or something, oh wait yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

Sid remained silent as the two bickered, he was never the kind of person to intrude on someone's personal affairs, that wasn't the kind of man he was.

"Anyways," Sid interrupted after the argument turned towards personal hygiene and cleanliness."The cab is waiting outside so..."

"Of course," Trish said politely."Sorry to hold you up."

Felix and Trish continued to bicker as the cab drove them to their destination, the Mittsu estate, a small summer house Trish's parents kept for business meetings with Lord Death which wasn't often but still they insisted on having it for the convenience.

Trish's father had decided it would be cheaper for her just to stay there instead of renting an expensive apartment. Her meister was only too happy at the prospect of having a high loft summer home for his disposal.

He wasn't disappointed either, on entry he quickly slid off his shoes and made himself at home.

"How awesome is this pad?"He asked as he inspected the entertainment center."A plasma screen, an Xbox, a Playstation, even a fricken karaoke machine."

"It will do."Trish responded as she began unpacking her many bags of luggage.

Felix couldn't help but snicker at her uptight, business like demeanor. It was just so unbearable at times. She was constantly on his back for the simplest things like leaving the toilet seat up or leaving an empty milk carton in the fridge.

Felix admittedly wasn't the most serious individual. To the contrary, he was very carefree and it was very hard to motivate him to do just about anything that sounded anything close to work.

The two had been partnered up at the very start of the experiment unlike the other two meisters he had met who had yet to find suitable weapon partners, so they had a slight head start over them and had even collected ninety-nine kishen souls under their first year before they lost them all fighting the panda witch Karen, just another thing he'd never hear the end of.

School didn't start until Monday so Felix stayed up late into the night checking out his new quarters, silk sheets and wool blankets were A okay in his book so he had no complaints to speak of, and having his own TV wasn't bad either, Felix already knew he was going to like it here just fine.


	6. Desert Walk

**(A/N)Sorry I haven't updated in awhile I am very easily distracted…ooh a fly*gets up and follows fly***

* * *

The sun was awake and in full bloom, laughing as it rose in the early hours of dawn, suspended in the cloudless sky.

The vast majority of Death City's residents were in a peaceful slumber, basking in the wonderful bliss of a lazy Friday morning. Lance Rodriguez however was not a part of that vast majority.

"Come on Lance get up!"Mark barked to his meister who refused to get up.

"Nooooo," Lance moaned."Just give me like two more hours, three tops."

"Veronica said to get you up right now."Mark said as he attempted to yank away the thin blanket Lance was using as a shield from the sunlight."Or else she'd come out here and get you up herself."

"No."Lance said, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

"Do you want me to go get her?"Mark challenged."Don't think I won't."

Lance groaned as he reluctantly pulled the covers up, his pupils shrinking back into his irises as he adjusted to the light. Letting loose a weary yawn, Lance grabbed a shirt from his conveniently close wardrobe and lazily found his way into it as Mark impatiently tapped his foot.

"Where is little miss bossy anyway?"Lance asked, pulling up a pair of jeans over his boxers.

"Still in the shower," Mark replied.

"Ger, using all the hot water no doubt," Lance grumbled as he zipped up one of his numerous hoodies."What about you? You take your shower today?"

"Uh huh," Mark answered.

"Get behind your ears?"

"Yes."

"Brush your teeth?"

"Yes."Mark answered, irritated.

"Comb your hair?"Lance inquired.

"Um well no…."Mark confessed.

"Ha gotcha," Lance chortled, producing a comb from seemingly nowhere to straighten his own horrendously bed headed hair.

When he was fully dressed and as groomed as he could be with the bath room in use, Lance turned on some early morning cartoons for Mark and proceeded to make himself a bowl of Death-Os.

_He really is everywhere isn't he?_ Lance pondered as he scooped another spoonful of the sugary skull shaped bits into his mouth. _They're not even O shaped_.

With that thought Veronica exited the bathroom, a towel draped around her torso and floppy red hair.

"Good morning."The two boys stated distractedly as they gazed in awe at the explosions being produced from the small TV.

Sliding into her room, Veronica dressed in her usual attire; red t-shirt, leather jacket, camo cargo pants, and knee high combat boots.

Returning to the main room she found the two boys still had their eyes glued to the TV. Walking up to it they attempted to position themselves in a better viewing position until she firmly pressed the off button to both of their dismay.

"Hey what gives?"Mark whined.

"Yeah we were watching that."Lance complained."You know it's not very polite to interrupt someone in the middle of their programming Ronnie."

"Shut it!"Veronica ordered, her demands immediately followed with silence.

"Unlike any other day, I can't allow you two to waste this one."Veronica said."We've only three days until school starts and plus now we have to duel that Black Star chap.

"We shouldn't be sitting down on our arses all day, we should be training extra hard."She exclaimed.

"Can't it wait until noon at least?"Lance practically begged.

Veronica simply crossed her arms, but it was enough for Lance to know all his efforts would be futile. Discouraged but still not ready to admit defeat Lance got up.

"You know you're probably right."Lance agreed.

"She is?"Mark said, dumbfounded at the lack of his meister's usual stubbornness.

"I am?"Veronica stated, also perplexed.

"Why of course you are, we always need to be at our best."Lance continued, failing to hide a mischievous smile."Let me just grab my coat…"

"Lance!"Veronica yelled, knowing something was amiss.

But it was too late he had already pulled one of his many devices from the pockets of his black overcoat, before she had the chance to stop him Lance threw a smoke bomb, momentarily clouding the entire room, giving him more than enough time to make his exodus through the missing doorway.

"Sorry Mark!"Lance yelled once he was safely out of reach of any sudden slashes.

"That bastard," Veronica hissed."As soon as he gets back I'm so going to throttle him."

Lance knew Veronica was more than likely going to throttle him the second he stepped foot back into the apartment but that was one risk he was going to have to take to ensure his own laziness, he hated to leave Mark to the beast though.

A few early risers were beginning to join Lance in the cobblestone streets, he checked his cell phone it read five fifty seven a.m. Veronica had honestly gotten him up before six o clock to do extra training of all things.

_I can't believe I'm even up right now_ Lance thought with a groan. _Nothing else to do but go for a walk I guess_.

Lance was quite fond of going on walks, just him, his Ipod, and wherever his feet took him, preferably some place secluded where he could ponder the things going on around him in peace. Having to deal with the people he had yet to make an act for always made him uneasy which ruined the whole walking experience for him.

His feet soon led him to the most secluded place they could find, the desert.

_Hmm_. Lance thought slightly amused._A zen walk in the desert huh? God that just sounds lame doesn't it? Like something an aging hippie would write a song about, probably have at some point I'm sure, I should look that up when I get home, after fending off the inevitable sword attack of course._

Thinking of his rapier Lance couldn't help but smile, she was his foil as well as his same. He knew that if it wasn't for her ambition he wouldn't take soul gathering so seriously, he wasn't a man of ambition. He preferred to just let things run their course and hope for the best. _Ha cause that's worked out so far_.

Veronica on the other hand liked to guide her life how she saw fit, his life too now. She only had two concerns keeping her little brother safe and becoming a death scythe, not a very original goal Lance loved to point out but a goal none the less and she worked devilishly to achieve it or, more accurately, she worked him devilishly to achieve it.

Lance was just happy to have something to do and someone to do it with, he hadn't had a real long term goal in over five years and those were just childish fantasies of becoming a legendary meister like his mother.

He sighed at the thought of his mother, sailing on the stream of consciousness were always risky tides, you could only go the path your mind took you on and sometimes it takes you were you don't want to go.

Knowing this, he looked around desperately for something to distract him from those painful memories he'd rather not delve into but alas there was only sand, _not the most captivating thing in the world is it?_ Lance thought.

_Well damn, at least I'm alone_.

* * *

It was around noon when Felix pulled himself from his comfy new bed, hazy eyed he made his way to the shower, relishing in the soothing warmth. He washed at his leisure, just absorbing the hot liquid as it soaked his entire body.

Grabbing a soft towel off a nearby rake, he set about drying himself and his wavy blonde hair.

Still sleepy despite the shower Felix prepared his breakfast, he found Trish in the front room watching some reality TV show.

"Morning sleepy head," She teased, almost pleasantly.

"You seem to be in a good mood."Felix noted.

"Ah well."Trish said."It's just nice to be in one place for a little while, you know?"

"Yeah I get what you mean."Felix yawned in agreement. He too was taking solace at the fact that they didn't immediately have to pack up their bags like they normally would have after a good night's sleep.

"It's been so long since I was in school. I wonder how it's going to be?"Trish asked.

"Are you sure two years counts as a long time?"Felix mused."I'm sure we'll be fine, I'm an awesome meister and you're an awesome weapon, what could go wrong?"

"I'm sure with you anything that could go wrong will."Trish snorted in good humor.

"Now you're just motivating me to screw up."Felix laughed wearily, sliding an arm around Trish on the couch.

Anyone who didn't know the two well enough would be deeply confused by the sudden transition to fighting to peacefully relaxing the two constantly went through on a daily bases.

After a few hours of watching TV Trish left to check out the nearest supermall and Felix left a half an hour late in an attempt to suppress the overwhelming boredom that now bombarded him.

Dressing in his usual blue jeans and light blue long sleeve shirt combo, he sauntered through the streets of Death City at a slow and steady pace, taking in the city he had been to only twice before.

The first time had been when he and Trish where first partnered up and sent to track as many kishen souls as they could get, the second time was when said souls were confiscated from them for failure to collect the soul of a witch.

_I wonder what Lord Death does with all the confiscated souls_. Felix wondered, rubbing his chin.

He soon found his destination, a small street corner coffee shop expectantly named DeathBucks. It looked like what you'd expect it to look like, like any other coffee shop. Surprisingly crowded for the size and the location of the place, Felix found himself at the end of a three person line.

As the line dwindled down to him he took notice of the clerk, gazing up at the clerk, clad in her DeathBucks uniform, her raven black hair hung neatly on her shoulders clashing completely with her pale porcelain skin.

"May I take your order?"She asked, staring at him with large midnight blue eyes.

"Mocha frappuccino please," Felix said casually scanning her name tag, Kylanna; she looked around his age maybe just a little older, perhaps she was a fellow student.

"You wouldn't happen to be a student at the DWMA would you."Felix asked as she retrieved his order.

"As a matter of fact I am."She nodded, smiling."Kylanna Tenebrae, one star meister of class full moon, but you can call me Kyla."She smiled handing him his drink.

"Thanks, Felix Dodds, one star trident meister, class crescent moon."He said extending his free hand, which she took without hesitation."Nice to meet you,"

"Same here, I'm partners with my brother Tom by the way."She added as if it had almost slipped her mind.

"Older or younger?"

"Twin actually."

"No way," Felix said in disbelief.

"Very much way," Kyla affirmed.

"Hey since you're in class crescent moon. I was wondering if you knew who that guy is?"She asked indicating a boy of his age in a corner table, his glasses hanging on his nose as he peered down to read a book.

It took Felix a second to recognize his fellow experimental traveler student.

"Yeah that's Lance."Felix answered."He and I are both new students."

"Oh."Kyla said."Is he your weapon partner then?"

"No he's a meister too."

"Well he just came in here ordered chocolate milk and sat in that corner."Kyla explained."Barely said two sentences."

"Yeah, he was pretty quiet the first time me and Trish, my weapon partner, met him."Felix told her, recounting the event in his mind.

"You should try and talk to him."Kyla said."Besides you're holding the line."

Turning around, Felix saw one surprisingly patient person standing directly behind him in line.

"What can I get for ya Killik, the usual?"He heard Kyla say as he made his way to Lance

Felix didn't really know why he was going to talk to Lance. If he wanted to be left alone let him be alone, he thought. But still he found himself pooling a seat from the table Lance sat on, causing the meister to look up.

"Hello Felix."Lance said his face a mask of total indifference."Long time no see."

"Yeah it's been awhile."Felix said desperately looking for a conversation starter."So…How long you been here?"

"Just a day," Lance stated turning a page in his book.

_Crap I'm losing his attention_. Felix thought franticly.

"So… did you ever find a good weapon partner?"

"Yes two in fact."He said without taking his eyes away from his book.

"Oh and how are they?"Felix asked desperately.

"Just fine."

Silence, except for the occasional page turn, overtook the table as Felix searched for an invigorating topic, finding none.

"So…"

Sighing, Lance shut his book, pushing his glasses up, "can I help you with something Felix? Is there something you want?"

"No not really."Felix shrugged.

"Then why do you persist on annoying me with your pointless attempts on breaking the metaphorical ice?"Lance asked bluntly.

"I…well…um."Felix stammered.

Just as Felix was about to give up from the corner of his eye he saw Kyla approach their table.

"Hello Kyla."Felix greeted."What are you doing here?"

"It's my break."She stated as she entered the third seat at the table."I was going to go grab a bite to eat, but this seems much more interesting."

"Hello I'm Kyla."She said turning her attention now to Lance."And you are?"

"Lance."He murmured, suddenly finding the floor more captivating than anything, even his book.

"Aw you're shy aren't you? That's okay. You don't have to talk to us if you don't want to."

Something between relief and irritation spread across Lance's face as her words hit home.

Sighing heavily, he gave her a long, cool, calculating look before attempting a nervous smile.

"Um…"Was all he managed.

Felix was completely dumbfounded by this. He couldn't have been more dismissive with him but yet he was willing to talk to Kyla?

"So you two are both new students, are there anymore of you coming?"Kyla asked casually

Felix and Lance stared fearfully at one another before shivering in unison.

"Josilyn," They breathed.

"Whose Josilyn?"Kyla asked quizzically."And why does she get that reaction?"

"Josilyn," Lance muttered, daring to speak."Is the single most frightening individual on the face of the planet."

"Mmhmm."Felix agreed."That piercing gaze…"

"Wow you guys are completely serious aren't you?"

"Deadly serious," Lance confirmed."I only met her once, but that was enough for me to never want to do it again."

"Well at least it got you to talk."Kyla noted.

"Ha it did, didn't it?"Felix proclaimed victoriously.

"You must feel so fulfilled."Lance snickered, rolling his eyes.

Standing up now, he picked up his book and tucked it into his black overcoat.

"As much as I would like to stay and chat-"Lance began.

"You don't have to lie, if you feel uncomfortable around us we'll let you leave." Kyla said in a sweet tone.

"No really it's not that. I just have to go, I have a really angry sword awaiting my arrival."Lance stated apologetically.

"Well don't leave her waiting."She said.

"I never said it was a she."Lance said, confused

"A woman just knows these things."Kyla explained.

"I'll take your word for it."Lance smiled before leaving.

"Well he seemed nice."Kyla stated as they watched him leave.

"Yeah, to you maybe," Felix snorted.

"I have to get back to work soon."Kyla sighed, checking the time on her watch.

"Yeah I have to leave now too."Felix added.

"Thanks for providing a few interesting moments Felix," Kyla said, patting him on the back.

"You're very much welcome Kyla."Felix responded in turn before making his way for the door.

_I_ _wonder if Trish's day was anything like this._


	7. A Duel Tomorrow?

**(A/N)Thanks for all the reviews guys, keep em up!**

* * *

There were a lot of things that Lance didn't like, such as loudmouthed people who kick in other people's doors for instance, and coffee, oh how he disdained coffee. But if there was one thing that he absolutely hated, loathed, and despised it was being pitied, that girl, Kyla, was just trying to be nice to him to feel better about herself by showing kindness to someone she deemed less than herself.

Perhaps he was looking at this too cynically and Kyla actually had good intentions but still it changed little whether or not her intentions were genuine or not because Lance was already long gone from DeathBucks and he didn't feel the need to return there anytime soon.

His thoughts turned back to his soon to be classmate Felix, he hadn't meant to be so rude to Felix but whenever he was annoyed or irritated he became uncontrollably snarky and, to Felix's dismay, he had been both annoyed _and_ irritated by his presence.

Lance was too lost in his own thoughts to foresee the surprise attack planned out by his older weapon, as he casually sauntered through the empty door frame the left side of his face was met with a hard placed fist, sending him spiraling in the opposite direction.

"Hello Lance."Veronica greeted, her gaze dark and threatening.

"Good to see you too."Lance replied as he straightened his posture."I can always count on you for a warm welcome. Oh hi Mark"

"Hey Lance."The shield waved from his seat on the couch, a bowl of popcorn situated in between his legs, knowing the show was about to begin the boy smiled eagerly.

Veronica slowly stepped closer to her meister but Lance refused to retreat, daringly standing his ground as her face became mere inches from his. Then without warning she shot a left hook towards the side of his head but he was ready for it now and quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it behind her back in an armlock.

"You'll need to be faster than that dear."Lance smirked as she struggled to break his kung fu grip.

"Oh really?"She asked."Or I could just do this!"She growled as her booted foot kicked his shin with all her might, temporarily distracting Lance long enough for her to escape and place another kick in his chest as he clutched his injured leg.

"Well played sis."Mark commented through mouthfulls of popcorn.

As she prepared to place another attack Lance quickly retreated into the kitchen in search of sanctuary but was soon backed into the corner by his ferocious predator.

"You know I take no pleasure in hitting girls Ronnie."Lance said, daring to smirk.

"Get over it."She hissed, charging forward.

Got over it he did, dunking under her swung fist he placed a palm softly on her smooth stomach and released his soul wavelength, knocking her a few feet away on her backside.

Grinning despite himself, Lance let out a victorious finger snap and gently bowed towards his one man audience and was met with single clap before his adversary was back on her feet.

Brushing herself off, Veronica resumed her battle stance.

"Oh come on Ronnie do you really want to get hit with another one of my soul jolts?"He asked, adding some electricity to his snapping fingers for extra effect.

The sword stood defiantly before sighing and admitting defeat."Fine," She huffed.

"Good girl."Lance said giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder, which she quickly slapped away.

"Well that wasn't much of a show."Mark pouted, disappointed.

"Worry not my young companion."Lance proclaimed theatrically."The real show starts tomorrow."

Maka gripped the edges of the book in front of her hard as she attempted to tune out the loud chatter being emitted from her weapon and Black*Star.

"Dude it's gonna be awesome! I'm gonna wipe the floor with Lance!"Said ninja screamed needlessly.

Maka felt herself twitch in irritation at the loudmouth assassin, but couldn't stop herself from wondering who Lance was and why was Black*Star apparently going to fight him, well that last part wasn't really the confusing part.

"Beat him up before his first day of school? Nice Black*Star, nice."Soul chortled.

_That's right the new kid Tsubaki mentioned._ Maka thought. _Hmph of course Black*Star already challenged him to a fight, the jerk_.

"Why should I care? I'm the man who surpassed god, remember?"Black*Star boasted to the annoyance of everyone in the room which consisted of Soul, Maka, Tsubaki, Crona, and himself.

"So what stopped you from fighting him right then and there?"Soul inquired."It's not like you to wait patiently for a fight to start."

"Kid was there and made us agree to wait until Saturday."Black*Star answered bitterly.

"Why was Kid there?"Maka asked, now far too distracted to read her book.

"I'm not sure."Black*Star confessed.

"Kid, Patti and Liz were all there."Tsubaki added helpfully.

"How was this Lance guy like Tsubaki?"Maka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well he was….Very charming."Tsubaki blushed.

"Charming?"Crona asked shyly.

"Well he seemed like a real gentleman."Tsubaki clarified.

"A g-gentleman, you mean like K-Kid?"The timid swordwoman stuttered.

"They _are_ both very polite."Tsubaki pondered."And it seemed like they knew each other."

"We should ask Kid if he knows him."Maka declared.

"Ha! Won't be much point after Saturday, there won't be anything left of him by then!"Black*Star yelled while everyone else sweatdropped.

Kid had had a very busy day. Out of frustration from Black*Star's actions the previous night he had completely rearranged everything in the Gallows Mansion to vent out his stress, followed suit by searching the school staff for a referee, alas the only one who was free was Maka's father Death-Scythe, whom he had to drag out of Chubacabra's to explain the details too.

Kid hadn't told his weapons yet but the reason he was acting so protective of Lance was that when they were both children Lance was very insecure and couldn't handle things of that nature by himself.

Though he had seemed a lot better at hiding it, Kid noted from last night's occurrence. Kid was still accustomed to going out of his way to ensuring his friend's already low self esteem didn't sink any lower.

Before he left Lance had been Kid's only real friend, the only other people he met were death-scythes and high ranking meisters his father had introduced him too, but Lance was different, he too been sheltered as child by his parents so they both were inexperienced with socializing with others and it had taken awhile before Kid finally managed to break through Lance's natural defenses and the two were quickly friends.

Along with their similar uprisings Kid could sympathize with Lance's plight because of his own OCD, in some ways they were forced to befriend one another by their parents since Lance's father was his father's death-scythe at the time but it had turned out for the best and Kid was surprised when his father had told him that Lance was coming back after seemingly disappearing for two long years.

_Typical_. Kid thought. _First night he comes back and Black*Star challenges him to a fight_.

Standing up to Black*Star was definitely out of character for Lance and Kid wondered how much Lance had really changed since there time apart, perhaps he would ask his father if he knew anything about Lance's change in demeanor since last he saw him. Even in his happy episodes Lance wouldn't have behaved the way he did that night when Black*Star kicked his door down.

Pushing open both doors simultaneously to reenter his Mansion, Kid began to pace as he contemplated his old friend, eight steps at a time. He didn't have high hopes on Lance beating Black*Star after fighting him himself he knew that Black*Star was a tough opponent with or without the use of Tsubaki.

Knowing that Black*Star would more than likely try to intimidate Lance by fighting with only his hands, Kid groaned, knowing also that Lance would stubbornly disarm himself too, completely oblivious too Black*Star's proficiency with channeling his soul wavelength, Kid feared the worst.

Kid was grateful for an empty house. The sisters were more than likely busy shopping at the mall which worked for Kid since he didn't exactly feel like dealing with them at the moment, there were far too many thoughts forming in his head.

"Hello Felix!"Trish sang as she threw her large shopping bags onto the nearest piece of furniture to the door.

"Sup Trish?"Felix asked as he greeted his weapon returning from her pilgrimage to the town mall.

"Did you know that Lance is here already too?"Trish asked as she began sorting through her numerous purchases.

"Actually yes, I ran into him earlier today."Felix answered.

"Really? What a coincidence I heard from these two girls I met at the mall that he was in town and guess what, some guy challenged him to a fight tomorrow at eight, we are so going to be there."Trish said without pausing to breath.

"Um… Okay."Felix agreed lamely.

"And I guess the guy he is fighting is like a legit ninja, even helped defeat the kishen."Trish continued."I bet Lance wins though. Do you remember how cool he was when we met him?"

Felix had heard multiple times on how cool Trish had found Lance's behavior on the brief day they had all met. What Felix had called being antisocial, Trish had called being strong and silent, traits she had constantly told Felix he should acquire. Plus, though she may have said this just to annoy him even further, he was also apparently super cute.

Still, Felix felt something close to jealousy twinge in his chest as Trish continued to praise Lance and explain how handsome she found his stoicness and Felix got the feeling she meant what she said. He just couldn't fathom how she could become so smitten with someone she had only seen once for such a brief amount of time.

_Girls_, He thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

She later went on to tell about the two girls she had met Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson or Liz and Patti for short, she had met them while at the mall where she and Liz, the older of the two sisters, had fought for a dress that they both apparently _had_ to have before they realized there were extras in the back. After that they had spent the rest of the day getting to know each other and comparing fashion advice with one another while the younger sister, Patti, drew giraffes.

_So Trish has found an equal in knowledge of useless fashion designs_. Felix mused.

Lord Death's mask seemed to frown if possible as he leaned heavily onto his cane, needing it for the first time in his incredibly long life. The wound he had sustained from his battle with Asura had yet to fully heal and although he did his best to hide it, he was in considerable pain.

Even with the kishen threat vanquished the reaper couldn't help but sense a feeling of foreboding, as if a curtain of false serenity had lain itself over all the inhabitants of Death City but himself. Sighing Lord Death turned his attention to the mirror in front of him where Stein and Marie were battling a witch who had previously been involved with Aracnophobia, since Aracnae herself had been devoured by the kishen the remnants of Aracnophobia had kept surprisingly well hidden, to the reaper's frustration.

The witch was no match for the legendary four star meister wielding a death scythe and was quickly defeated.

_Good_. The old reaper thought. _One less problem to worry about_.

Still, the feeling of unease did not leave the immortal as he gazed solemnly at the cloudy sky of the Death Room.

* * *

**(A/N)I felt like expanding Kid and Lance's childhood friendship but worry not I have never nor shall I ever write a yaoi fanfic, sorry to disappoint any fangirls in the audience but it's just not my cup of tea.**


	8. A Fight Worth Mentioning

The beeps from the alarm clock jolted Lance back into consciousness, quickly shutting the irritating device off and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he made his way to the shower. The hot water poured out of the shower head, the water fully waking him from his sleep. After brushing his teeth and combing his hair he awoke Veronica and Mark to prepare them as well. Soon the trio where all cleaned, clothed, fed, and ready to depart.

The duel had been scheduled for eight so they were a few minutes early when they arrived at the school's courtyard. They were unsurprisingly met with a small crowd, Lance had figured Black*Star was the type who always wanted others to observe him and his feats. Lance had hoped that his theory was correct. His plans had depended on it in fact.

He scanned the members of the audience, quickly spotting Felix and Trish who seemed to be silently arguing, about something of little importance no doubt. He also noticed Kyla waving at him accompanied by a boy of similar appearance, a sibling perhaps? Who was fidgeting impatiently, waiting for the action to begin.

There was also of course Kid with his two pistols the Thompson sisters, calm and collective as always. There were people he didn't recognize as well, a girl with pigtails in a mini skirt and sweater vest clutching a book to her chest greeted him with a smile that he didn't return. A boy with white hair held back by a headband was next to her, red eyes silently studying him before giving him a slight nod of approval. The third person he noticed seemed to be trying to hide behind the girl with the pigtails in an attempt to avoid as much attention as possible.

_Been there_. Lance thought. _Done that_.

From what he could make out she was tall with messy pink hair cut short, her apparel seemed slightly odd to him, an old fashion black dress with large white cuffs with a similar collar. She shifted uncomfortably upon noticing his inspection of her so he quickly turned his gaze elsewhere, noticing the red haired man he had encountered before in the Death Room, the current death-scythe, he recalled.

The only one absent was Black*Star himself. Tsubaki was alone on the other side of the courtyard but her meister seemed to be nowhere in sight.

_That's odd. Maybe he's just trying to be fashionably late or something_. Lance pondered. _I mean there's no reason_ _why his weapon can be here but he can't_.

He hated to admit but he hoped that he wouldn't show. Lance had been giddy the previous night in devising his plan with Mark on how to handle the ninja, but now that he saw how many people were in attendance he was nervous and it was never good when he was nervous. He'd over think simple things and cause problems. He remembered the first kishen he had fought, he was so nervous that he lost his grip on Veronica and had had to beat him to death with Mark.

His remembrance was short lived as he soon discovered where the assassin had been. From atop one of the spikes that lined the top of the DWMA he stood shouting out something that Lance couldn't make out before jumping off and landing in an imposing squat.

Lance didn't give him the satisfaction of responding to his stunt, that was part of the plan. Ignore everything he does that's not directed directly at him, and he could tell that Black*Star was a little peeved to see his performance had gone without response.

"Too stunned by my amazing entrance to respond huh?"Black*Star asked."Don't feel bad Lance a small guy like you can't help but be in awe to a big man like me!"

"Oh Black*Star."Tsubaki sighed embarrassedly.

Lance did his best to keep his mask of indifference despite the infuriating boasting of his opponent but he knew that to lose his head would be a sign of weakness that his enemy could use to his advantage. Although he did wonder if Black*Star would even know a sign of weakness if it backhanded him across the face.

"It's about time you got here." Kid said, visibly irritated at the chain-scythe meister."I said to be here at eight not eight o five, you would have been here on time if it wasn't for that pointless stunt."

"Whatever."The ninja said dismissively waving his hand, receiving a golden eyed glare from Kid before he went to welcome Lance.

"You know you don't have to do this right?"Kid asked worriedly.

"So you said last time."Lance said."But do you really expect me to back out now that this lovely audience already came all this way looking for a good show."

"Lance….."Kid said pleadingly before giving up, knowing he'd get nowhere against Lance's always stubborn personality."Fine," He grunted.

Turning his attention back to Black*Star Lance addressed his adversary."So are we going to do this or what?"He asked as coyly as he could.

"What's the rush Lance, in a hurry to get your beating?"Black*Star retorted mockingly.

"Oh, so you can be clever. That's quite a surprise." Lance said, flashing a cocky smile he had practiced the night before."I figured you were more the barbaric simpleton type."

This got the desired reaction out of Black*Star, clenching his fist tightly and grinding his teeth he asked Kid to start the duel.

"Well it's about damn time."The white haired boy muttered from the doors to the school where the crowd had positioned themselves.

"Mark, Veronica."Lance said calmly, indicating his weapons to take their forms. Catching them in his hands and entering his battle pose, Mark raised firmly to his chest while Veronica was held to side.

"Shall we begin?"

He expected the ninja to arm himself with Tsubaki but to his surprise he simply raised his hands and resumed his own battle stance.

"Do you intend to use your weapon?"Lance asked.

"Nope don't need one."Black*Star answered, his face contorted into a look Lance recognized as complacency.

_Well that's unexpected_. Lance thought to himself. _But it only makes it that much more enticing_.

Forgetting his previous fear of the gathered onlookers Lance tossed back his weapons and clapped.

"Well played Black*Star, well played."Lance complimented. "You truly are just full of surprises aren't you?"

"You know I think I'll prefer to fight you unarmed actually I wasn't looking forward to having to pin myself against a beautiful woman like Tsubaki."He gestured towards her."But since its just you, well this suddenly seems much more enjoyable."

This was all a lie of course. His plans had been specifically for fighting against an opponent wielding a chain-scythe, but Lance did enjoy improvisation.

Kid shot him a worried look but he brushed it off, his main goal had been successful. He had made Black*Star angry once more with his compliments of Tsubaki and by his choosing to fight unarmed as well. Lance was feeling rather pleased with himself until he felt a hard poke at his back and turned around to face both of his weapons with concerned looks etched across their faces.

"Um Lance are you sure about this?"Veronica asked. "I mean you saw what the bloke did to the door."

"Yeah, this wasn't part of the plan."Mark added.

"Well sometimes you have to change plans."Lance said, patting the younger boy on the head."And plus I have more than just a few tricks up my sleeve."He gestured to the deep pockets of his black coat.

"Fine, just kick his arse for me, alright."Veronica said, giving him a firm shoulder squeeze. An unusual sign of affection from his usually tough as nails rapier.

"You can count on it Ronnie."Lance said reassuringly.

"Hey! Are we going to do this anytime soon?"Black*Star complained.

Lance resumed his facade of calm cockiness, flipping his hood up before replying."Whenever your' ready."

Maka didn't know what to make out of Lance but he seemed to be grinding Black*Star's gears more than anyone she'd seen before, and she supposed that counted for something.

Lance waited for Black*Star to make the first move, gesturing for him with a gloved hand until Black*Star charged at him at an incredible speed but somehow Lance had predicted it and narrowly avoided the attack with a simple sidestep.

"Tsk,tsk."Lance snickered as Black*Star quickly turned around and attempted to jump kick him while his back was turned but Lance dunked under that just as calmly as he had dodged the previous attack and Maka had to say that she was impressed.

"Ooh."Patti exclaimed as Lance decided it was his turn to attack and sent a black sneaker directly at the ninja's head that he barely managed to avoid before a black gloved fist was also let loose in a vain attempt to make contact with Black*Star's head.

Soon the two were exchanging blows in a rapid succession of hits and blocks and misses, giving Maka time to fully take in Lance's fighting style. To describe it in a single word Maka thought the best one for it would be makeshift, it seemed to contain several different fighting techniques that fused sloppily with one another and was much less refined than Black*Star's.

She also noticed, with a small shock, that some moves seemed to be directly taken from Kid's reaper fighting style, further adding to her theory that the two new each other more than they had let on.

Maka found herself quickly pulled out of her thoughts as she noticed the fight slowly slip into Black*Star's favor, as Lance's blocks become more pointless and his attacks more infrequent.

"HA! I knew you couldn't outshine me!"Black*Star screamed as he prepared for a finishing blow."BLACK*STAR BIG Wi-"

His sentence was cut short as a surprise kick to his jaw hit its target."You know it's probably not wise to announce your big attack to the enemy in the middle of your fight."Lance explained."Just a word of advice,"

Black*star was up just as suddenly as he had been downed and was quickly back on his assault on Lance even quicker and fiercer than he had been before."No one can outshine the magnificent Black*Star!" The ninja exclaimed without even ceasing his barrage on Lance.

Things weren't looking good for the new Kid. But just as the thought crossed Maka's mind Lance did something very, very unexpected.

That last statement got to Lance even more so than the waves of fatigue or the tremors in his arms from every fist or foot of Black*Star's that he had blocked. Did this loud mouthed excuse for a ninja truly believe that he was putting on some kind of a show? That he was entertaining anyone in the slightest? Well that just wouldn't do.

Jumping up to kick with both feet the ninja expectedly raised his arms to block in an x shape, giving Lance a base to propel himself off. Flipping in the air Lance landed ungracefully on his feet but landing nonetheless a safe distance away from Black*Star as he had intended.

"Let me educate you Black*Star."Lance spoke."While your constant yelling and shouting may be amusing to a select few. The majority of an audience will not be entertained. On the contrary they'll probably be annoyed by your antics. At least if they have any taste whatsoever."

Black*Star and the crowd were all left speechless by Lance's sudden change in demeanor.

"Let's take for instance your entrance. Now I can appreciate theatrics as much as anybody, more so in fact I adore them and use them frequently myself, but the way you came in just made you seem arrogant and headstrong. Not to mention stupid."

"Huh?" Came Black*Star's confused response to hearing Lance's analysis of his performance.

"Now look at how I have carried myself. I have remained calm and composed even in the heat of combat, adding an aura of mystery to my character that even now is getting more interest than your mindless screaming ever could."

Clenching and unclenching his fist Black*Star grinded his teeth in clearly expressed rage, shaking with unreleased wrath.

"Oh? Struck a nerve have I? Afraid I've stolen your attention even further or is it that a small part of you is realizing that there's some truth to what I said and is reprocessing everything you thought you ever knew about showmanship?"

Travelling beyond the speed of sight, Black*Star appeared in front of Lance and landed a hard blow across his face, staggering him almost off his feet but Lance remained standing, quickly straightening himself.

"Well that's more like it."Lance cackled, rubbing his injured cheek."Now the gloves are off, figuratively speaking of course."

And with that the fight continued with even more intensity than it previously had and Lance had to consider why he kept pushing his luck. Black*Star was undeniably faster and stronger than him, he only managed to avoid ending up as a bloody pulp by relying on his cunning and wits and he had the feeling that they wouldn't last him that much longer either. There was only one way for him to win this. He had to hit Black*Star with one of his soul jolts.

"Hey Black*Star what was that move you were going to hit me with earlier?"Lance asked between deep breaths.

"Hmm? You mean my big finisher move."Black*Star answered, also heaving a little."What about it."

"Well." Lance smirked mischievously."How about we stop prolonging this thing and end it right here and now? Your best move verses my best move."

"You know I think I like the sound of that."Black*Star agreed."We'll see who the brightest star in the sky is once and for all."

Hiding his gaze beneath the shadow of his hood Lance watched as Black*Star let the sparks of his soul wavelength fly. _So he can use his soul wavelength too, that might prove to be problematic. But whatever, there's no more room for strategy in this fight. It's all up to chance now_.

"So you know that trick too I see."Lance said, letting loose a few sparks of his own to add false certainty to his goading."That just means it's going to be that much more fun when I'm standing over your fallen body."

"Enough talk."Black*Star said simply before charging.

Putting more of his soul than he had ever before into his connected palms Lance charged to meet his opponent, remaining silent while Black*Star unsurprisingly yelled in battle lust.

When their attacks met Lance could feel his whole body shake from the forces of the two souls meeting in combat. The two souls locked in battle were enough to push both combatants to their knees as they desperately tried to overtake the other and for a single moment both souls were evenly tied in their attempts to throw off the other.

But then that moment passed.

Both Lance and Black*Star were shot flying in opposite directions, propelled by the combined might of their souls, each skipping across the cobblestone floors of the courtyard.

Black*Star barely managed to breathe a faint "Ow." as he attempted and failed to return to his feet.

Lance on the other hand was completely unconscious. The blast of energy had sent him significantly farther than it had shot Black*Star, sending him straight into the small wall that surrounded the courtyard and had left a deep dent where his head had made contact with it.

"Oh bollux," Veronica muttered as she walked over to inspect the limp form of her meister sprawled along the ground. Sighing as she bent down to try and gently slap him back into consciousness, and sighing once again as a large blob of drool trickled down to his chin."Bloody hell…"

"Well that was disappointing, to say the least."Mark said, looming over the lifeless shell that was Lance."He didn't even follow the plan."

"Oh you two and your stupid bloody plans," Veronica moaned as she heaved Lance up and laid him against the wall."Wake up."She said firmly as she snapped her fingers in front of his face to no avail.

"Ha! I knew I'd beat him."Black*Star boasted, leaning heavily on Tsubaki for support.

"Did you listen to anything he said to you Black*Star?"Soul asked, making his way to the center were Kid, Death-scythe, Tsubaki, and Black*Star stood."I was hoping you'd have learned something."

"Do you really think a big man like me would listen to a small fry like him?"The ninja laughed."I'm the man who surpassed god, remember?"

"Don't remind me."Soul sighed.

"Well I think I'm done here."Death-scythe said."Bye Maka my dear."

"Is he okay?"Maka asked Veronica, ignoring her father.

"Of course he's fine. He's just being a baby."Veronica said as she began to shake him against the wall.

"Um are you sure that's wise?"Kid asked warily.

"Yes I'm sure."Veronica stated bluntly as she stated smacking Lance repeatedly in her attempt to wake him up."Come on already."

By now everyone had gathered around the unconscious meister, staring in mild confusion at the scene in front of them. Patti and Mark were both giggling as Veronica groaned in frustration, while Kyla, Maka, Tsubaki, and Trish simply gave small looks of horror at the sword's actions.

It was only after a few moments before Lance woke up with a yelp."Ow, okay ow. I'm up! I'm up for god's sake!"He cringed as Veronica gave one last slap to make sure."As if cracking my head open wasn't enough…"He complained before noticing all the faces around him.

Pushing his glasses back up Lance quickly regained his composure. "Umm…."Lance managed to mumble as the crowd continued to stare at him expectantly.

_Oh my god, oh my god_. Lance thought as he fought to keep his legs from buckling under the weight of all their heavy stares. _What do I do? What do I do?_

Kid, seeing his friend's plight quickly swooped to his aid."Hey guys have you all met Trish and Felix? There new students here as well," Kid said quickly."Mark, Veronica let me introduce you to my friends."

Lance sighed in relief as the rest of the students happily intermingled with one another. _Ooh that was close_. Lance thought. _Disaster averted_.

Or so he thought.

For at that very moment Lance saw someone exit the doors of the DWMA, the lady with the eye patch he had seen in the Death Room, she seemed to know everybody because she greeted them all individually, taking special care in talking to the pink haired girl who had been hiding behind the other girl with pigtails. She smiled warmly at all of them before noticing Lance.

"Your Damon's son, aren't you?"The lady asked Lance.

Lance could feel a chill make its way up his spine. Nobody ever mentioned his father around him and that was how he preferred it.

"You could say that."Lance answered without meeting her eye.

What she did next brought all the attention once again back to Lance. Pulling him in with surprising strength the lady gripped him into the hardest bear hug in his relatively short life.

"Oh you poor boy."She whimpered, squeezing even tighter."You poor, poor boy."

"Can't breathe."Lance managed to spit out as the strange woman continued to mercilessly hug the life out of him.

"Marie you're suffocating him!"Death-scythe said, running to Lance's aid.

Upon noticing that what Death-scythe said was true she immediately put Lance down who was gasping for air.

"Oh, I'm sorry I guess I don't know my own strength."Marie said.

"You nearly choked him to death!"Veronica snarled as she held Lance as he got back to his feet.

"It's okay Ronnie I'm fine."Lance said as he straightened himself into standing position.

Veronica, realizing she was still clutching her meister, quickly pushed herself away from him and crossed her arms.

"Why does everyone want to put their hands on me today?"Lance complained, temporarily forgetting his previous nervousness."I've been knocked out, slapped for no reason, and almost suffocated. What's next on the agenda is one of you planning to try to shank me or maybe try to beat me over the head with a baseball bat."

"Lance."Mark said.

"Oh sorry. With a cricket bat?"Lance corrected.

"Lance."Mark said again.

"What Mark?"Lance asked, irritated.

"You're being very loud."

"Oh."Lance squeaked inaudibly, realizing his small rant had been the focus of attention since the hug. Shrinking into his own mind for fear of death, Lance produced a mask of expressionlessness and stuffed his hands in his pockets to cover the vortex of panic in his head.

"Lance if you ever need someone to talk to don't hesitate to find me."Marie smiled, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Um thanks I guess."Lance said awkwardly scratching his head, _who is this lady? And why does she know about my father? And more importantly why does she even care?_

Lance sighed in relief as the people clustered around him slowly began to part ways, only a few bothering to stay.

"Whew, well I think that could've gone much worse, all in all."Lance said to Kid once he thought no one was in earshot.

"Are you hurt at all? You hit your head on the wall pretty hard."Kid questioned worriedly."And your clothes are all out of symmetry."He said straightening Lance's coat.

Lance sighed, shaking his head."It's good to see something's never change"

"Well that was quite the show."Kyla said smoothly as she stepped towards them."Tell me, what happened to that shy little boy I met yesterday?

"Well….I….um."Lance stammered again faced by the prying DeathBucks employee.

"Ah, there he is."She said, flashing white teeth."I think I'm starting to understand your game Lance Rodriguez."

"My game?"Lance chuckled despite himself."It's much more of an act really."

"Kyla can we go already I'm hungry."The boy with similar black hair moaned.

"Fine just give me a moment Tom."Kyla responded with a frown.

"Okie dokie."Tom agreed.

"I'll be seeing you Lance."Kyla said extending her arm which Lance reluctantly shook.

"Friend of yours?"Kid asked as they watched her leave.

"Yeah."Lance said."I suppose you could say that."


	9. The Final Students Arrive

The rest of the day held less excitement. The gang had made their way back to Lance's apartment on Death Avenue where Kid and Lance were playing chess, Mark was watching a cartoon, while Black*Star was busy attaching a newly bought door to the empty door frame. Kid had forced the ninja to fix the mess he had caused despite the ninja's protest that he shouldn't have to since he had won the fight. After much arguing the assassin had finally given up and grudgingly agreed to repair the damage he had done. Tsubaki had accompanied her meister and was with him outside.

Kid had never been able to beat Lance at chess. The sword meister was surprising adept at the strategic board game, quickly plowing through Kid's line of defense in a few short moves.

Kid was hardly surprised when the inevitable "checkmate" was announced by his oldest friend, just as it had always been whenever they played. He didn't mind losing though because it seemed to put Lance in a good which was always a nice thing for him to see.

"It seems you lose again my old friend."Lance smiled, pushing his glasses back up.

"Wow, you're actually good at something." Veronica snickered from her seat next to him.

"It's shocking I know."Lance chuckled, giving her a playful punch on the arm.

And with that Lance proceeded with mercilessly defeating Kid once again, making a show of eliminating every last one of Kid's forces before cornering his king.

"I do believe that's checkmate."Lance said, taking a sip of his apple juice.

"How do you do that? You completely annihilated him."Veronica asked.

"It's elementary my dear Watson."Lance explained."It's all about knowing your opponent."

"What do you mean?"Veronica questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Knowing your opponent, being able to safely predict their next move with little chance of failure, knowing exactly what they'll do even before they do. It's why I always read the kishen dossiers cover to cover."

"Oh that's rubbish."Veronica said."There's no way that works."

"Really? Let me enlighten you my dear rapier."Lance smirked."Take for instance our friend Kid here. I presume his obsession with symmetry is no secret to anyone."

Everyone in the room nodded in confirmation while Kid crossed his arms.

"I don't see anything "obsessive" about licking things to be beautiful."Kid said.

"Not the point."Lance continued."Using this knowledge I noticed that Kid tries to position all of his pieces to be symmetrical, which leaves weak spots that can be easily seen if you know where to look for them which I do. I exploit these weak spots for my advantage you see."

Kid was baffled. Had he really been trying to make his chess pieces symmetrical? If he had it was entirely subconsciously. He didn't love symmetry that much, did he?

Yes, yes he did.

"Okay that's it." Veronica said as she took Kid's seat and reset all the pieces."You and me,"

"I'm surprised you even know how to play chess Ronnie."Lance joked."But there's no way you can take on the master."

"That has yet to be seen."Veronica retorted as she took her first turn.

Kid watched as the partners proceeded to move their pieces in a complex display of strategic placement. Veronica certainly did know how to play chess as she had said and Kid could see Lance's eyes scanning the board after every move she made, glowing in delight at having a proper challenge.

"You never cease to amaze me Ronnie, you know that right?"Lance complimented."You truly are skilled in this game."

"Tell me something I don't know."She said nonchalantly leaning in her chair.

"But you have one fatal flaw."Lance said, moving a piece.

"And what would that be?"Veronica asked, taking a rook.

"You're reckless."Lance said, moving a new piece."You strike at the first open pawn you see without waiting to protect your own forces."

"You're just trying to mess with my head."Veronica said, taking his last bishop."Well I'm not falling for it."

"No I'm being completely sincere."Lance replied, moving his last remaining rook to face the unguarded side of her king who couldn't move without being in range of his queen.

The sword stared blankly at the board.

"I do believe there's a word for this. I just can't seem to remember it what's the word I'm looking for here Mark?"Lance asked mockingly.

"Checkmate."Mark answered.

"And so it is."Lance agreed.

"But-but the rook and the bishop. I was winning."Veronica stammered.

"Those were merely well placed decoys."Lance admitted."I told you that you couldn't take on the master."

"Well I hate to go but father has something important that he needs me to attend to."Kid said as Veronica stuck her tongue at her meister, a gesture which he returned in full.

"Where are you going?"Lance asked once his tongue was back in his mouth."Maybe I can help. Anything's better than sitting here all day."

"The last new students are arriving back at the academy and father wants me to give them a tour."Kid said.

"You mean Josilyn."Lance said, shivering.

"That's what father said her name was."Kid recalled."Her and her weapon will be arriving at the school shortly so I really need to be going."

"Does he mean the same Josilyn you told us about Lance?"Veronica asked."The one that scared you witless?"

"Pssh, I'm never without my wits."Lance responded, convincing no one.

"Well I think I would very much like to meet this lady who frightened my meister so."Veronica chortled."See if I might pick up some tips.""

"Well have fun with that."Lance said distractedly, taking a seat on the couch next to Mark.

"You're coming too."Veronica stated as she grabbed Lance by his hood and started pulling him towards the door.

"But this is a new episode!"Lance whined.

"Oh grow up."Veronica said bluntly."Mark hold down the fort."

"Aye aye."The shield saluted.

Black*Star and Tsubaki gave questioning looks as Veronica dragged Lance out to the staircase, followed by Kid who was just as confused.

"I don't see why I need to come."Lance complained as he yanked his hood out of Veronica's hands.

"Because I need to see exactly how she scares you and how you react to her."Veronica answered."That way I can "know my opponent" better."

"So you want to learn how to scare me?"Lance asked."What purpose would that have?"

"More than you would think."The sword smirked wickedly.

"Now, you see that answer already scares me."Lance quipped.

"Good."Veronica grinned, patting him on the shoulder."I'm already learning."

"Oh god."Lance sighed."Tsubaki, would you mind babysitting Mark for us?"

"Sure."The chain-scythe agreed softly."I was just standing her anyways."

"Thanks a lot."Lance smiled."We really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it."Tsubaki smiled in return.

Black*Star scowled and continued working as the three of them left for the DWMA.

"I don't get it."Veronica said once the apartment was far enough behind them that she would risk talking."Why are you still being all nice and stuff to Tsubaki after Black*Star kicked your arse?"

"Because Ronnie it's the polite thing to do."Lance said."Not that you would know anything about that."

"Do you enjoy making me hurt you?"Veronica asked menacingly."Because you seem to do it a lot."

Lance simply chuckled. Kid still didn't know how these two could ever function as a team. Father had said that together all three of them had collected well over a hundred kishen souls but still their constant horseplay made them seem more like children than a weapon- meister team. Plus from what he had seen so far Veronica seemed to be rather abusive towards her meister but then again Kid had seen Maka hit Soul more than a few times as well so perhaps it wasn't that unusual.

They soon found themselves waiting at the entrance of the academy. Veronica started tapping her foot impatiently while Lance simply looked bored. Kid checked his pocket watch for the eighth time in a row. Father had said that she would be here soon so where was she?

As if to answer his question a powerful screech echoed throughout the courtyard. The roaring of an engine was heard all around them as the sounds originator came rushing towards them before coming to a halt a mere few feet away from them, making Veronica flinch while Lance and Kid retained their composure.

"Are you sure we can park here?"A voice said, coming out of the passenger's seat.

"Yes, I'm sure."A second voice said, opening up the driver's door to exit, spurred boots jingling with each step.

The girl who had said this didn't seem all that threatening Kid noted. She looked perfectly normal. A bit tall with her long brown hair in a neat braid, wearing blue jeans and a blazer in a sort of business casual sort of way, really the only odd thing was her boots that continued to jingle with every movement of her feet.

"Greetings, I am Death the Kid."Kid curtseyed."And please allow me to be the first to welcome you to Death Weapon-Meister Academy."

"The son of Lord Death himself."She mused, scanning him up and down with her big brown eyes."Accompanied by Lance Rodriguez of all people."

Kid noticed Lance immediately stiffen at her recognition of him.

"Allow me to introduce myself."She said."My name is Josilyn Masterson, though some seem to favor calling me Josie. Feel free to use whichever you prefer."

"And you must be Lance's weapon partner."Josilyn said, looking at Veronica, giving her a calculative look.

Lance quickly attempted to whisper something in Veronica's ear.

"Mr. Rodriguez, if you have something you which to share with us go on ahead."Josilyn said sternly, staring at him intently.

"Uh.. Err.. Well…I was just informing my weapon partner that when you stare at people you are more than likely examining their souls."Lance uttered quickly, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

"What I do with my soul perception is my business and I will not have you informing others of its presence without my permission."Josilyn said without even the hint of an expression on her face.

"Yes Ma'am."Lance gulped."It won't happen again."

"Scaring people already Josie?"The other boy who had been in the car said as he approached, carrying two small briefcases."Haven't I taught you better than that?"

"Reginald, if you have taught me anything of any value I would be deeply shocked."Josilyn scolded without taking her eyes off of Lance.

"Oh don't listen to her."He waved dismissively."The names Reiji, Reiji Colt nobody calls me Reginald."

"Well met."Veronica said, shaking his hand.

Reiji was of average height, perhaps a little bit shorter than Kid, dressed in regular jeans and a hoody with his hair set in dreadlocks.

"Well since introductions are all done how about I show you two around?"Kid asked.

"Sounds cool with me bro."Reiji smiled as he walked in to the school.

"To familiarize myself with the building's layout would be for the best."Josilyn agreed.

"I'll come with."Veronica said, following the rest of them.

"The more the merrier."Reiji Laughed.

"Lance, are you coming?"Kid asked.

"Yeah I'll catch up in a moment. Go on ahead."Lance said, gesturing for him to go.

_Wonder what that's about_. Kid thought.

And with that Kid proceeded in touring them all through the school. This was the third time this week so he figured he did a good job pointing out all the things he thought to be especially symmetrical. Josilyn took in every nook and cranny of the place, occasionally jotting down a note or two in the small notebook she carried in her satchel.

Kid enjoyed having someone who actually seemed to be listening to him as he described and explained the building he would someday have to run, everybody else he had showed around seemed to just nod their heads blankly as he told a few stories he had heard from his father about the DWMA's founding and construction.

He did see how someone like Lance could be uneasy around her. She seemed very strict and punctual, very no nonsense to say the least. Reiji on the other hand was very different. He slouched his ways through the halls joking with Veronica and openly mocking his meister's more stoic attitude.

The sword seemed to make quick friends with him, chuckling as the two shared whispered comments. Kid wondered what they were talking about but didn't dwell on it as he concluded his tour of the school, lastly taking them to the Death Room to sign in with father.

"Wazz up everybody!"His father billowed as they entered the cloudy room where his father dwelled.

"Father, the last of the new students have arrived."Kid announced.

"As I can see," He bounced."How's it hangin?"

"All is well Lord Death."Josilyn stated.

"Yeah it's all good."Reiji said."And may I say what a nice school you have here."

"Aw you're just saying that."His father said, waving his big gloved hand girlishly.

"No seriously of all the schools I've seen this is definitely in my top three."Reiji assured.

"Veronica! Nice to see you, but if you're here then where's Lance and that brother of yours?"His father asked as he noticed the read haired sword was also in the room.

"Lance is around here somewhere."Veronica explained."We left Mark at home with a babysitter."

"Oh I remember when Kid was his age. He was so cute with his little stripes."His father swooned.

"Father please," Kid grimaced, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh you're no fun."He laughed.

"Back to the reason we are here Father."Kid sighed. Honestly he loved his father but sometimes his antics annoyed him.

"Okay spoil sport. Here fill these out will you."He said, handing Josilyn and Reiji each a paper to fill out."It's just a formality."

While they were busy filling out their sigh in sheets Kid noticed Lance silently enter the Death Room.

"And where have you been?"Veronica asked with her hands on her hips.

"Oh you know, here and there."Lance said, shrugging.

"Whatever."Veronica said."Let's just go home."

"As you wish my lady."He said, bowing slightly."Come on let's go."

"I don't see what's so scary about her."Kid heard Veronica say as the two left the Death Room."She seems normal to me."

"Shush she might her you."Lance whispered frantically."She has ears like a hawk."

_Oh Lance_. Kid sighed. _He's changed so much yet so little_.

Which reminded him, he hadn't seen Lance's parents once since he had got here, which was peculiar seeing as how much they had smothered him as a child.

Perhaps he would ask father when he had some free time. Yes that's what he would do that would certainly bring some clarity.

"Kid."Josilyn said, ambushing him outside the Death Room."You seem to be familiar with Mr. Rodriguez."

"Lance."Kid nodded. _What is she getting at?_

"So I assume you are aware of the incident with his father."She said, giving nothing away.

"Incident?"Kid repeated."What are you talking about?"

"So you don't know."She frowned."I would've thought the son of the grim reaper would be informed of such a thing."

Now she was starting to irritate him, if she had something to tell him than just spit it out.

"Your friend's father, the last death-scythe, was a kishen."She said bluntly.

"What? That's ridiculous."Kid gasped."I knew Lance's father and there was no way he was a kshen."

"Believe what you want but I know for a fact that Damon Rodriguez was kishen, my mother was one of the meisters that helped take him out."She explained."So If I were you I'd watch who you keep company with."

"Well you're not."Kid snapped."And I fail to see what Lance's father has anything to do with him."

"As the saying goes like father like son."She said, shaking her head."Just watch your back. A kishen who ate a reaper soul doesn't sound like the kind of enemy I would want to fight."She finished before turning around to walk away.

Reiji gave him a sort of apologetic look before following his meister down the hall.

Okay now he was definitely asking father about Lance's parents.


	10. Another's Observations

Lance couldn't see how much worse the day could get. Well that may have been a bit hyperbolic but this definitely wasn't his day. Not that starting it off with him being propelled into a wall was an indicator that it would be, but now he had been forced to see the only person on the planet that he truly feared at the behest of his own weapon for the sole purpose of learning how to imitate her.

_Man that girl_. Lance thought. _Of all the swords in the sea I manage to pick the ultra violent, bloodthirsty one, figures._

Josilyn Masterson. Seeing her again had been as pleasant as he had expected. Just thinking about those big icy eyes on that robotically expressionless face was enough to send shivers up his spine. The added thought that she could inspect his soul at her leisure didn't help at all.

Leaning against one of the pillars that outlined the entrance to the DWMA, Lance heaved a deep tired sigh.

Reiji hadn't seemed that bad though and he had to wonder how he could possibly match souls with that mechanical shell of a woman. He also couldn't help but wonder what kind of weapon he could be. Whenever he tried to imagine the type of weapon Josilyn would prefer he always pictured a big mallet to whack him with.

After about sixty seconds or so after the other had went on ahead to take Kid's tour Lance peeked through the small mirror on the school's door. _Good, the coast is clear_.

Digging into his deep pockets Lance got what he was after, a single cigarette, his secret addiction. It had been a bad habit of his ever since his time in Germany when he was still searching for a weapon partner. His potential partner had offered him a smoke and Lance had never known how to say no to someone. So Lance had fought the urge to cough while the two discussed the likely hood of the partnership working and he grudgingly had said yes again when the man asked him if he would like a second cigarette.

Lighting it, he took a long puff before breathing out a stream of smoke. He had agreed to quit when he had met Veronica and Mark but he still snuck one whenever he was feeling stressed out like right now. The reason why she was opposed to him smoking had something to do with her grandmother dying of lung cancer or something like that so he took extra care to hide his pack at all cost lest he wished to be stabbed repeatedly, which wasn't particularly high on his Christmas wish list to Santa.

He took his time in finishing his smoke, savoring it, before discarding its remains and entering the building, stuffing a few mints into his mouth for good measure.

Search as he might he couldn't find them and he soon discovered that he was hopelessly lost within the halls of the DWMA, wishing he would have paid more attention to Kid when he had given them their tour.

_Already forgetting your way around, eh Lance_? He asked himself. _Well that's just great_.

Wandering the halls aimlessly with the faint hope of bumping into someone seemed like the most productive thing to do in this situation. Anybody would do really. He'd even take that crazy eye patch lady if she could help navigate him through this labyrinth of a school.

The "incident" with her, as he was now referring to it in his head, was still fresh in his mind. He didn't know how to feel about it. The woman, her name was Marie or something like that, had known him somehow and so of course she had known of his father. Everybody seemed to have heard of the Death-scythe turned kishen that had been his own dear dad.

Her recognizing him wasn't the confusing part though. He had lost many a potential weapon because of his resemblance to his father, he had been lucky when he had met Veronica and Mark when it came to that aspect. But most of the time when someone found out who he was related to they just glared at him and politely asked him to get the hell out. They certainly didn't hug him and tell him that it everything was alright. She had even said to come and talk to her if he ever needed it.

Yeah, that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon.

Still the option was surprisingly reassuring. Normally he hated the thought of others pitying him but with her he got the idea that her intentions where genuine.

All of this was trivial of course since he was still completely lost. He was heavily considering lighting up another cigarette but decided against it since there was always the chance of running into a faculty member and getting into trouble or even worse running into Veronica and getting skewered.

Being lost wasn't really that bad now that he thought about it. It was just like one of his walks only he didn't have his ipod and that was easily rectified by simply humming.

His humming quickly ended as he heard approaching footsteps. Straightening his coat and wiping off the idiotic smile that had somehow made its way onto his face, mentally preparing to try to not look dumb as he explained that he was lost, a difficult task.

As it turned out he needn't have bothered at all. The girl who had been making the footsteps he had heard was apparently in a hurry because she crashed into Lance before she saw him, falling on top of him. Squeaking in embarrassment the pink haired girl attempted to retreat to the way she had came but tripped on her black dress.

"Are you alright?"Lance asked as he helped pull her up.

"You idiot!"A strange voice said from nowhere."Why can't you watch where you're going?"

Turning his head from right to left Lance tried to see where the rude voice was coming from but couldn't see anyone but the two of them in the hall."Who said that?"He asked when he gave up trying to look.

The pink haired girl looked extremely uncomfortable, nervously rubbing her arm. She seemed to be silently muttering something to herself.

Now he remembered where he had seen her. She had been there when he was fighting Black*Star, watching from behind the girl with the pigtails.

When he received no response from the strange voice he turned his attention back to her, shifting into friendly mode.

"I'm Lance." He said, putting on a fake smile to try to put her at ease," pleased to meet you."

"Um..T-thank you."She stuttered nervously, looking at the ground.

"Tell him your name retard!"The voice returned, causing the girl to yelp.

"Where are you?"Lance asked, with just a little bit of an edge to his voice. He never could tolerate people being mean with no reason.

"I'm right here four eyes."It said as a black ooze shot out of the girl's back, condensing into a black monkey …thingy. _Yeah let's go with that_. With a big white X etched across its face.

"Didn't see that coming," Lance thought out loud.

"Ragnorak I asked you not to come out."The girl grimaced.

"I can't imagine why."Lance snorted.

"What are you staring at four eyes?"The thingy, no Ragnorak she had called it, asked him.

"Oh nothing in particular," Lance lied, trying to act casual."I was just wondering if I could get some directions."

"Directions?"The pink haired girl repeated."Where to?"

"Have you seen a group of students by any chance?"Lance asked."They're most likely being led by Death the Kid, if you know him."

"Kid? I did see him with some other people. It looked like they were heading to the Death Room."She explained, quietly.

"That's great. Would you lead me to them?"Lance asked gently.

"I don't know how to deal with new people."She sighed almost to herself.

"Please, it would really help me out a lot."Lance pleaded.

"O-ok I'll try."She agreed, albeit uncertainly.

"I'm Crona by the way."She mumbled glumly.

Man this chick was even worse than he was before he had learned how to mask his emotions. Oddly though it made him feel a little secure around her, like they were kindred spirits in their social ineptness or something like that except she was actually worse than him which made him feel a bit more confident in a weird way.

Alas he felt no connection to Ragnorak in any sense of the word, in fact he quickly found himself irritated by the oozy black creature to the point that he was debating hitting it with his soul wavelength and only refrained himself for the sake of Crona who seemed as if she might panic or try to run off at any second.

Still the creature intrigued him and he could only contain his curiosity for so long before prying.

"So what's the deal with Ragnorak?"Lance asked, trying to sound as casual as he could.

"What's the deal with your face?"Ragnorak snorted, causing Lance to twitch slightly.

"Ragnorak be nice. Maka says we need to be nice to friends."Crona pleaded."Ragnorak's my uh. My weapon partner,"

"That's awesome."Lance stated in awe."You always have him on hand. You don't have to worry about getting separated at all or one of you being lost or something like that."

The aspect certainly seemed desirable in theory but perhaps in reality it could get hectic. Lance supposed. God knows he wouldn't want Veronica oozing out of his back all the time.

"You think so?"Crona asked sheepishly.

"Indeed."Lance nodded."How did it you and Ragnorak come to be…..attached to one another?"

Her reaction immediately made him regret asking and he could see that it was a touchy subject and decided not to pry any further.

She led soon led him to the entrance of Death Room.

"Thanks for helping me out."Lance said."I would've been stuck there for hours if it weren't for you."

"You're welcome."Crona timidly responded.

"See you around."Lance said as he stepped forward into the Death Room, turning around to look at her but discovered that she was already gone.

Looking ahead he could see that Josilyn and Reiji were busy talking to Lord Death. So he tried to be as quiet as possible as he made his way up to Veronica so they could depart.

"Where have you been?"She asked as soon as she spotted him, hands on her hips, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh you know, here and there."He answered, shrugging.

"Whatever."She snorted in a most lady like fashion."Let's just go home."

He was only too happy to oblige her."As you wish my lady."He curtseyed, throwing in a bow for the hell of it."Come on let's go."

"I don't see what's so scary about her."Veronica said as they made their way out of the cloudy room."She seems normal to me."

"Shush!"Lance whispered."She might hear you. She has ears like a hawk. Or you know some other animal with abnormally good hearing."He elaborated once they exited the Death Room and became safely out of sight from Josilyn.

"Oh quit being paranoid."Veronica said as they made their way out of the building, luckily not getting lost this time. Lance never got lost twice, once was enough for him to learn his way around.

"Being paranoid just means I'm hardly ever surprised."Lance chortled.

"Blimey."Veronica sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose."You have an excuse for everything don't you."

"I try my best."He confirmed.

* * *

When the two returned to their apartment they found it now had a working door once again. Mark was asleep on the couch and Tsubaki was cleaning the dishes.

"Oh welcome back."She greeted."There's some leftover casserole in the fridge if you're hungry."

"You made us dinner?"Lance asked."That's very nice of you."

"Well I thought you might be hungry."Tsubaki smiled."Plus the kitchen was full."

"Good thinking."Veronica stated, getting out the food."I'm starving."

"Well what do we owe you for watching the tyke?"Lance asked.

"It was no problem."Tsubaki said."And he was very well behaved."

"Our Mark well behaved? Are you sure you watched the right kid?"Lance chuckled, taking a seat next to Mark on the couch and gently ruffling his hair.

"No really he was great."Tsubaki assured.

Somehow Lance wasn't surprised that Tsubaki was great with children. She seemed the type that could get along with almost anybody, even somebody like the real him and not the mask he wore whenever he was in public.

"Well it's getting late so I better get going."Tsubaki said.

"See you later."Lance said as she left.

After they ate and Lance carried Mark into his bed. He and Veronica both prepared to go to sleep but as Lance lay there on the couch he found that he couldn't. Too much had happened today. Everything was swirling around in his head and keeping him awake.

"Lance."A voice said causing him to pop up in alarm.

"I see you can't sleep either."Veronica said, sinking into the chair next to the couch in her plaid pajamas.

"It appears so."Lance said, clutching his blanket to cover his chest. His pajamas usually consisted of nothing more than his boxers.

"So what's the cause of your insomnia?"He said, shifting into a sitting position.

"Oh I don't know."She sighed."It's just that everything is changing. It used to be just the three of us but now there are all these new people."

"Wow Ronnie, are you actually nervous about something?"Lance mused."Never thought I'd see the day,"

"What and you're not?"She questioned glaringly.

"Me? I'm terrified. In case you haven't noticed I'm not exactly a people person."Lance explained.

"You could have fooled me."She snorted."You've been nothing but a people person since we got here."

"That's merely an act my dear Ronnie."He clarified."And a poor one at that,"

"What are you talking about?"She asked.

"What? You didn't really think I was that charming young socialite?" All this stuff is completely foreign to me. So if one of us should be nervous it's me."He said."Which I am,"

"Man your weird."She muttered."Still it's just a little nerve racking."

"Veronica you and Mark are the first friends I've had in years and let me tell you, you have nothing to worry about. You'll be an amazing student and an amazing death-scythe you both will. I guarantee it."

Lance meant every word he said. He didn't know anybody who was willing to work as hard as her.

"Thanks Lance it means a lot to hear you say that."She said wistfully.

"I know we've only known each other for a little less than a year now but don't doubt that you and Mark are both important to me."_You're all I have_. He stopped himself from saying.

"I know. And you mean a lot to me too…. I mean us. You mean a lot to us."She smiled.

It made Lance smile to hear her say this. For too long had it been just him before he met them. He had been alone ever since his parents died and whenever he did talk to anyone they either gave him a look of pity or one of disdain. Neither made him feel much better.

He dreaded the thought of anyone of his friends or his new classmates knowing the incident around his father's death. Of course Josilyn knew it, she had been one of the people who looked at him with nothing more than contempt but it seemed like Kid didn't know anything about it and that made him feel a little bit better. He could just imagine how Kid would act if he heard it, Kid had always treated Lance like he couldn't be trusted to act for himself and this would be just the thing to strengthen that.

But for now Veronica and Mark didn't know and that made him happy at least and if it was up to him they would never find out. If it was up to him nobody would ever know, he'd like to forget about it himself.

He hated to admit it but he had yet to get over the incident. It had happened over two years but it still got to him. He was weak and he hated himself for it.

And he assumed that if either of his partners found out about it they would hate him too not that he didn't deserve it. He thought.

Still he didn't want them hating him for as long as he could prevent it. They really were all he had and he didn't know what he would do if they left him too. Mark was like a brother too him and Veronica was…Well he didn't know what Veronica was to him but he knew that he didn't want to lose her.

Yawning, she leaned back into the chair and smiled at him, a rare occurrence."Do you really think I'll be an amazing death-scythe?"She asked with gleaming eyes.

"The best one ever," Lance assured.

"And you'll be the best meister ever."She said, reaching out to pat his knee."Just you wait."

"That I don't believe."Lance said, smiling sadly. "I'll just be happy to be the one swinging you when we finally get you a witch's soul."

"Well maybe if you weren't so lazy you could be a great meister."She frowned."Honestly you have so much potential but you just do the bare minimum with everything."

"Oh great this conversation again," Lance sighed.

"If you just applied yourself more and trained harder you could be legendary Lance."She explained."I mean you can already fight with your soul wavelength. There are three star meisters that can't even do that."

"Maybe I don't want to be legendary."Lance sighed."Being adequate is fine by me."

"But you could be so much more."Veronica said.

"What can I say I'm a man with humble dreams."He said.

"And what would those be?"Veronica demanded.

"I'll tell you when I find out."Lance said, falling back onto the couch."For now waking up in the morning is enough for me."

"So you've never had a dream."Veronica inquired.

"Of course I've had a dream."Lance explained."I just don't have one right now, at this particular moment."

"Well what was your old dream?"

"I wanted to be a meister who was just as good as my mom."Lance grimaced."You know what. I really don't want to talk about this anymore."He said, turning his head away from here.

"Fine, didn't know it was such a bloody touchy subject."Veronica snorted."See you in the morning."

He simply laid there for a few hours until he eventually fell into dreamless sleep which was always preferable.

Now there was just one more day before their fist day as official DWMA students.


	11. The First Day

Sunday came and went without anything of real interest and Maka was excited when Monday finally came, bringing with it their return to the DWMA.

Soul was saying something about how uncool it was that they had to go back to school so soon after defeating Asura but she couldn't be more elated. The last few weeks had been so boring for her without school work. And she felt like all the time spent lounging could be better spent collecting kishen eggs.

Well it wasn't entirely wasted time anyway .Her and Soul had gotten…..closer since she had defeated the kishen. She wasn't exactly sure what they were now but a couple sounded to official so they had kept it a secret from the rest of their friends.

After the battle when all their wounds had been bandaged and they had returned home Soul had almost mauled her, crashing his lips into hers as soon as the door was closed. And she was only too willing to meet them in return. After all they had been through it was such a relief to just be alive and it made her realize just how important Soul really was to her.

Just thinking about all their secret rendezvous since then made her blush a deep red.

"Maka!"She heard a timid voice squeal as she entered the now busy building.

Turning she saw Crona nervously approach her."Good morning Crona."Maka greeted, smiling.

Crona sheepishly smiled in return, joining her and Soul as they made their way to class crescent moon. The room was only half full when they entered with a few early birds like her and Ox taking their seats while the rest of the students slowly began to pour one by one into the places in the classroom.

She spotted Kid and the sisters in their seats at the center of the classroom. She couldn't be sure but Kid looked troubled, like he was really frustrated about something but couldn't do anything about it.

Everyone's attention was quickly stolen when a new set of feet entered the room. Lance and his weapons casually sauntered into the room. Lance scanned the room before picking a vacant seat in the second row to the left side of the room.

Seeing how everyone's was staring at him Maka had to wonder what could possibly be running through his head right now.

* * *

_I_ _can't do this_. Were Lance's first thoughts upon entering the school, his second being if it was too late to runaway or not.

No, to leave at this point would only add more unwanted attention. So he tried with all his might to not let any of his anxiety show as he led his weapons to their new class. Upon entry he got the exact reaction he had been dreading since coming to the city. The entire room's attention was now on him as he nearly fainted. Pulling himself together he picked the first open seats he saw while trying not to do anything stupid and he just knew that he was failing miserably.

More and more students flooded the room, casting curious glares in his direction all the while. He assumed all the new students were retrieving this kind of treatment but the thought did little to ease his apprehension.

When the inevitable bell came the chatter immediately ceased. The silence was even worse for Lance. He had been home schooled his entire life and he didn't have a clue what a teacher may be like. In all the movies he'd seen they were always really inspirational and compassionate or they were mean abusive tyrants who tried their best to make students miserable.

He wondered what this Professor Stein guy would be like. He'd of course heard of the man many considered DWMA's greatest meister and was slightly startled when he read that he was to be his first ever real teacher.

There were two reasons why this startled him so, well if he really thought about he could probably think of a few more but these two were certainly the most prominent reasons, the first was merely the man's reputation alone he had heard many a gossip about the man's obsession with dissecting everything and anything. The second was that Franken Stein had been one of the select few meisters and weapons chosen to handle the infamous death scythe turned kishen.

He definitely would be able to recognize Lance and that notion troubled Lance deeply. The way Josilyn glared at him had been a friendly little reminder of his parentage but he dreaded to imagine how someone who had personally dealt with his father would act towards him.

A loud thud momentarily distracted him from his worrisome thoughts. Looking down Lance saw something he found rather odd. A man in a lab coat sitting in a rolling chair was sprawled across the floor reading a clip board as if it was perfectly natural. Turning around Lance saw that everybody else was also treating it like a normal everyday thing.

"Good morning class."The man said not even bothering to get up."Let's take attendance shall we."

Lance figured this must be the Stein dude but he wasn't really exactly what he had imagined besides the lab coat and messy grey hair the thing that stuck out the most was the stitch marks that seemed to cover the professor's entire body from his lab coat to his face.

"Maka Albarn."The professor began.

"Here ."The pigtailed girl from the other day stated earnestly.

So he was going in alphabetical order by last name? Lance supposed that that made sense, thinking about it he was glad about it too, with a name like Rodriguez he should have a good long wait before he was called.

"Veronica Arondight."

"Here" She replied quickly.

"Mark Arondight."

"Hello."The shield waved cheerfully.

A few more names were called after that. Lance couldn't remember all of them but a few stuck out above the rest. Of course there were the other new students and the few other students he had met like Crona and Black*Star and Kid's pistols. But a few of the students had truly peculiar names like Soul Eater, Ox Ford, Kilik rung and so on.

But then again his best friend was named Death the Kid so….

"Lance Rodriguez."

Lance wondered what he should say when his name got called. Should he just say here like everybody else or try to sound smart and say present instead. But then he may come off as pretentious.

"Lance Rodriguez."

_Oh my god what if my voice cracks? That'd be so embarrassing_. Lance thought. _I wonder when he'll call my name. I_ 'd_look so dumb if I didn't notice when he did…._

"Lance Rodriguez."

"What?"Lance yelped in surprise as he came crashing back to reality, all eyes on him."Uh I mean here…"

"Smooth."Veronica chuckled, slapping him on the back."Real smooth Mr. Rodriguez."

_Great, nothing like looking like an idiot your very first day of school, way to go Lance_. He thought miserably, resting his head on his desk. _Why'd I have to choose now of all times to space out?_

"You may have noticed a few new students on the roster."Stein said once he finished taking attendance."Well all the new students please stand up."

Lance assumed it wasn't really a request and got up. He wished he hadn't of hung up his coat. He felt oddly naked standing up there without it in just his hoody and jeans. Mark was waving happily to everyone while he and Veronica did their best to look natural despite all the unwelcomed attention.

"You can sit back down now."Stein said, to Lance's relief.

Man, he was really going to have to step up his game if he wanted to avoid more scenes like that. Just keep your head down and go with the herd. Was what he kept telling himself. He just needed to focus more.

"For the first lesson I have a very special treat for all of you."The professor grinned madly.

"What is it sir?"The chick named Maka asked with a twitch of fear in her voice.

"Just check under your desk."He answered, spinning in his chair.

Lance checked under his desk and was a tad bit surprised to find a…scalpel. Why on earth would they need a scalpel unless…no way he couldn't be allowed to make them do that. He had heard of his obsession but there was just no way that he would have them do a….

"Dissection," He laughed, removing a box of recently deceased squirrels.

Everyone in the class simultaneously groaned in dismay while Lance tried to contain his horror. He'd never dissected anything before, why would he?

One by one each student was handed a squirrel carcass and Lance could just feel himself losing his innocence with each cut of the poor creature he made. Stein had at least excused Mark at Veronica's behest but Lance was given no special treatment.

It was just so….icky yeah he supposed icky was a good word to describe it. Lance had never seen so much blood in one place before and it was making him just a little light headed. And honestly he couldn't stop thinking about the squirrel. What its life was like and what it could have been if it hadn't ended up here. Poor squirrel.

And another thing was that it kind of seemed pointless. He just didn't see the connection between dissecting stuff and collecting kishen souls.

After that nauseating process was over and done. They moved on to something more practical, a quick review on the makeup of an average human soul and how it may vary depending on the individual and what not. It was nothing new to Lance he had heard it all before. His old tutor, Ms. Azusa, had been a strict teacher who practically pounded the entire big book of souls into his head by age eleven.

The bell came and the students dispersed to go to lunch. Lance had seen enough TV shows to know what to expect at least. The hard part was choosing a place to sit in the crowded mess hall. He didn't know anybody well enough to try and sit by them but if he sat alone he'd look like a weirdo. And dawdling around looking made him look like an even bigger moron than he had displayed earlier.

So he decided to just follow his weapons to a slightly secluded area towards the end of a table. He had thought about sitting with Kid but opted against it since the reaper had been giving him a very odd look all day and Lance wasn't sure if he wanted to know why or not.

The food wasn't as bad as he had imagined it to be. It wasn't great but certainly not uneatable.

One thing he didn't like though, which wasn't really surprising, was that there were even more people eyeballing him out here than in the classroom. He hated it but he was resolute in his determination to not draw any more attention to himself so that he could slowly fade into the back ground like everybody else.

"Hell of a day right?"Lance asked Veronica as he took a sip of his chocolate milk.

"You said it."Veronica agreed with a big bite of hamburger in her mouth.

"Ugh don't talk with your mouth full please."Lance reprimanded.

"Oh don't be such a girl."Veronica swallowed.

"Honestly Ronnie your being a bad example for Mark."Lance sighed."How do you expect him to learn manners when his older sister doesn't even have them?"

"Oh manners smanners," Veronica snorted.

"Once again your shining femininity astounds me."Lance retorted.

"And once again your femininity astounds me even more."Veronica snickered.

"You wound me with your words Ronnie."Lance said in mock hurt, clutching his chest for added effect."Why must you abuse me so? You're hurting my manly feelings."

"Oh just shut it."

"You two are so weird."Mark chuckled as the bell rang once again, signaling their return back to class.

The rest of the class proceeded as Lance had always imagined school to be. Boring. After the initial excitement of being in an unfamiliar setting wore off the experience lost its novelty. Hearing Professor Stein lecture off information he already knew by heart was slowly driving him insane and he came deathly close to dosing off once or twice during the ordeal.

When the inevitable bell came Lance almost jumped out of his seat. The day was finally done. He was a bit indecisive about how he felt about his first day of school. It wasn't as terrifying as he had imagined but there were still far too many people there for his liking.

_Keep it together Lance_. He sighed. _You just need to keep your cool for the next…four years. Crap this might not be as easy as I had hoped it would be._

Oh well, winging it would just have to do until he could establish a tactic for surviving all this chaos.

The walk home was nice and quiet, which he hated. Silence bored Lance to tears but he was content with it for the time being.

"Hey Lance."Veronica said, breaking the silence."I heard that bloke Death the Kid is throwing a party this weekend"

"When did you hear about this?"Lance questioned. He had been next to her all day after all.

"When you went to the bathroom this chick wanted to know if you were going."She explained.

"Why would she care whether or not I was going to the party?"Lance asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well she said, and I quote," do you know if your partner is going to Kid's party this weekend? He's so cute!"She mimicked in a high pitched voice, trying to hide her accent." disgusting really."

"She said that about me?"Lance blushed, flabbergasted.

"I know right. I didn't believe it myself. She must have taken one too many hits to the head."She theorized.

"You never let me have anything do you."Lance sighed.

"I wouldn't want it going to your head."She laughed.

"Going to my head, riiiight" Lance repeated."So what you're saying is that I actually am cute but you're lying to me so I don't become obnoxious about it."

"Um no…that's not what I'm saying at all…"Veronica stammered, tripping over her words

"Then what are you saying Ronnie?"Lance inquired, stifling a giggle at how cute she looked when she got nervous.

"Nothing just drop it."She demanded.

"As you wish M' lady, as you wish."Lance curtseyed.

"Do you want me to hit you again?"She threatened with a dangerous look in her eye.

"Okay okay I've had my fun, I know when to stop."Lance surrendered."Besides I'm only joking."

"Well good."Veronica confirmed.

"Seriously you guys are extremely weird."Mark commented again.

"Yeah she is."Lance nodded.

"That includes you too."Mark corrected.

"Yeah but I know I'm weird."Lance explained."She's still in denial."

* * *

What Father had told him had been most…unexpected. Kid was still having a hard time digesting all of it but it certainly did explain a lot. Lance's unexplained departure, his sudden return, his unusual behavior all of it was linked to what father had told him. He almost wished he hadn't asked but as a grim reaper it was his duty to be informed of such things, even if they dealt with his oldest friend.

Despite his earlier doubts, Losilyn's words had turned out to be the truth. Lance's Father, Damon Rodriguez, had become a full fledged kishen egg. It was shortly after the loss of his wife where they had both been ambushed during a mission to take down a dangerous witch. Distraught over the loss of his wife, Damon had concluded that Lord Death had planned the ambush himself with some deluded reasoning and swore vengeance against him and all those under him for the death of his beloved. Abandoning his only child, Damon set forth on his quest and had killed and devoured the souls of many of the DWMA's finest members, eventually working his way to the top of the DWMA's hit list.

It took a team of twelve of the best meisters and weapons the school had to offer before he was eventually brought down. Leaving Lance an orphan

Having known both of Lance's parents previously Kid was deeply shocked to learn of their demise, even more so of Damon's transformation to a kishen.

"Loss can be a fuel of great madness son."His father had said but to leave his only child to avenge his wife didn't sit well with Kid.

Kid knew he'd have to talk about this with Lance sooner or later and had spent the entire first day back at school planning on how he should bring it up. But Lance was he's friend and Kid knew he needed him.

Kid had originally planned on throwing the party to celebrate the defeat of Asura. But that was before Lance had come back now he wasn't sure what to do. He knew Lance hated crowds but he was also stubborn enough to go just to try to prove Kid wrong. And he couldn't cancel the party everybody was all ready really excited for it and he couldn't just disappoint them all.

This was a conundrum indeed.


	12. Maka The Matchmaker

**(A/N)Had to climb a massive mountain of writers block to write this chapter but it is finally done ^_^ I'm going to go make myself a congratulatory cookie now.**

* * *

By Thursday everything had slowly become routine for Lance. Wake up, go to school, go home, simple really. His studies were still pretty simple for him but he was content in relearning what he already knew for the sake of appearances.

The near endless amount of people was slowly becoming tolerable too. Sure there were still a few onlookers but for the most part he had become old news, which he couldn't have been more happy about. Kid was still sending him uncertain glares whenever he thought he wasn't looking which was odd but hey, the grim reaper family had never really been a shining example of normality.

Growing continuously bored with his classes Lance decided to check out the school's library so he could read something during class. He had always loved libraries, the seemingly limitless amount of books always managed to excite his imagination.

_Let's see what we got here, Elbon and the magic tools, The Big Book of souls, The Meister's guide to proper weapon handling. Hmmm boring, boring and oh yes boring._

The fiction section was much more to his liking, browsing the extensive collection of adventure fantasy novels. Lance quickly made himself a small pile to last him the year.

He had assumed he would be the only one in the library today but to his dismay he was proven wrong. Scanning up and down the first book shelf was the girl with pigtails…Maka yeah that was it.

_Okay, no reason to panic. I'm sure if I don't try to talk to her she won't try to talk to me_. Lance assured himself. _All I_ _got to do is just walk by her and check these bad boys out. No big deal_.

But of course nothing ever worked out that simply. Upon noticing him she instantly began walking towards him.

"Hello."She greeted."You're the new kid right?"

"Indeed I am."Lance said, hoping into his polite conversational persona."And you are?"

"Scythe meister Maka albarn."She answered, shaking his hand.

"Well scythe meister Maka Albarn it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."He curtseyed."Lance Rodriguez at your service"

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods?"Maka asked."Most students don't even acknowledge that we have a library."

"Oh you know just some leisure research."He said quickly grabbing The Meister's guide to proper weapon handling to cover up the small pile of books folded beneath his arm."Nothing to important,"

"Oh I read that book."Maka stated."Do you have problems handling your weapons? I saw you have two of them, that can't be easy to do."

"I manage."Lance assured."Just looking for any useful tips,"

"You're new to the area right?"She inquired.

"Uh huh," Lance nodded."Just got an apartment on Death Avenue,"

"Death Avenue? I live right across from there."Maka exclaimed.

"Really? What a coincidence."Lance noted.

"Maybe me and Soul, my weapon partner, could throw you all a welcome to the neighborhood party."She smiled, obviously liking the idea.

Lance hesitated. He didn't want to seem rude but he didn't want to have her over for dinner either. It wasn't her, she seemed nice enough maybe a bit nosey but still nice. Not only that but she was cute too. She was almost completely flat chested but he didn't really care. It was all what's on the inside that mattered right?

"Um… Sure I guess."Lance faltered, losing his calm façade for but a moment before regaining his composure."My apartment number is 29."

"Good me and Soul will drop by at seven."She paused."Actually do you mind if we bring another guest along?"

Well he was already having more guests than he wanted so what the hell? Couldn't hurt.

"Sure who else did you have in mind?"Lance agreed.

"A friend of mine you probably don't know her but she's in our class her name's Crona."Maka explained.

"The pink haired chick with the rude black blob coming from her back?"Lance asked."Yeah we met."

"You've already met Ragnorak?"Maka replied."Good that saves me some explaining."

"Why do you want her over, if you don't mind me asking?"Lance asked, genuinely curious.

"Well she's not exactly the most sociable person."

_Yeah, tell me about it_. Lance snickered mentally.

"She doesn't have many friends."She continued."And I figured since your new around here you might want some new ones too."

_What is she trying to set me up with this girl or is she really that bad at making friends?_ Lance debated.

"You seem like the sought that makes friends easily so maybe you could try to help her out of her shell. She's been through a lot."She finished.

_Wow. I really am a brilliant actor if this chick is really thinking I can help her friend learn to make friends_. Lance thought feeling pleased with himself.

"I'll see what I can do."Lance promised, getting carried away in his act.

"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."She smiled hopefully."I think she could learn a lot from you."

"I'll do my best."Lance smiled reassuringly, giving her a thumbs up with his free hands.

"Good, see you tonight then."She said before waving goodbye to checkout her own pile of books.

"See you then."Lance waved in return.

_Wait. What did I just agree to?_ He thought, instantly losing his smile. _God I need a cigarette_.

* * *

He hadn't been what he had expected. He was a lot more calm and charming than when she had seen him fighting Black*Star. But she supposed the heat of battle can make people act differently.

Maka hadn't intended on having dinner with him, but when she saw the opportunity she took it. Maybe now she could finally see exactly how he knew Kid.

The only problem now would be convincing Soul and Crona to attend. She knew that her weapon would immediately label a welcoming party as "uncool" and Crona was likely to be nervous about the whole thing and start spouting out about how she doesn't know how to deal with things like this.

She was confident Lance might finally get her out of her shell. Heaven knows she needed it. Maybe they'd become a couple like her and Soul? Oh that'd be terrific. Then maybe she and Soul could finally come out in public about their relationship.

Yes that's what she'd do, she'd hook Lance up with Crona, It'd be perfect! Crona deserved a nice charming guy like Lance after living like a slave with Medusa for so long. Maybe she could convince her to wear something different than that black dress she always wore.

But there was one even bigger problem than her dress. Ragnorak. How would any guy date Crona with that foul mouthed blob with her at all times? This might be harder then she originally thought but for now it could wait. She had to get them to come first.

* * *

Lance was in way over his head. Why had he ever agreed to have them over for dinner?

For three short seconds he was actually excited about the planned festivities. But then reality dawned on him and he had sunk into his hole of depression for letting himself get so carried away.

Veronica and Mark hadn't seemed fazed when he told them that guest were coming over, though Veronica did eye him suspiciously.

They had decided to order pizza this time around. Since cooking obviously wasn't really their thing. Deciding on his wardrobe was a much more difficult matter. Should he get dressed up for a welcome to the neighborhood party? Veronica changed into some jeans and a T-shirt so he chose to put a black dress shirt on over his T-shirt that he had been wearing under his hoodie.

Looking snappy, he set out on organizing the apartment to make it presentable. Once the table was set he felt comfortable with how the place looked and thought for a second that maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

But then the door bell rang. Panicking Lance lunged towards the door before slowly taking a deep breath. He had already formed some lines in his head so he should be good as long as he doesn't get carried away again.

Turning his hand to the right he pulled the door open. Revealing both Maka and Crona along with the white haired boy he assumed was Soul.

"Come on in."He greeted warmly."Make yourself at home."

"The place is lovely."Maka pointed out upon entering.

"Thanks, we're still adjusting to it."Lance thanked."We used to live on the road before we came here."

"Really, what was that like?"Maka asked, hanging up her inky black coat.

"Oh it was bloody exciting."Veronica said, taking a seat on the couch and flopping her feet onto the tea table."Going from town to town killing kishen and all that, a bloody good time if I ever had one,"

"That does sound exciting."The boy named Soul agreed."Soul Eater, nice to meet you," He said shaking Lance's and Veronica's hands.

He obviously didn't seem too happy to be here. But he was at least pretending to be sociable. The same could not be said about their other guest. Crona was standing in the corner nervously rubbing her arm.

"And this bloke right here."Veronica continued, pointing at Lance."Oh the way he wields me and Mark it's incredible. The finesse and the rage it's exhilarating.

"I know he seems mild mannered right now but believe me on the battlefield he changes completely, gets reckless and bloodthirsty."

_I guess blatantly lying is one way to entertain company_. Lance noted. _But I think I'll stick to what I do best_. _Pretending I'm someone else_.

"Here we brought you this."Maka said, handing him a basket full of assorted fruits."Think of it as a little housewarming gift."

Inspecting the basket, Lance grabbed himself a green apple and took a small bite, savoring the sweet taste.

"Thanks a lot."Lance smiled, placing the basket on the kitchen counter."We'll eat those right away."

The night proceeded rather smoothly after that. Mark and Veronica seemed to be getting along with Soul while Lance and Maka exchanged pleasantries. The only area that was lacking was Crona, who still seemed reluctant to join in on the festivities. Mark had attempted to introduce himself to the pinkette but all efforts turned out to be fruitless for the young shield.

Lance was apprehensive about how he should face this conundrum. He did give his word that he would try to help Crona out but he found the prospect of approaching her unnerving. So he nervously sat in his chair contemplating how best to assess the problem while trying not to stare too much.

* * *

Maka was steadily growing impatient. So far Lance had made no move to try to talk to Crona.

"Can I talk to you in private?"She finally asked.

"Yeah sure," He nodded, leading her outside to the staircase where he promptly took a seat on the railing.

"I wonder what those two are up to."Soul mused as the two meisters exited the apartment.

Once the door was shut behind them and she felt confident that the others couldn't overhear them Maka began.

"So when do you intend to talk to Crona?"Maka asked, irritated."Some time tonight I hope."

"Just give me a few minutes okay?"Lance sighed."I'm not used to this stuff."

"Not used to what?"Maka asked sternly, growing frustrated.

"Well…"Lance thought for a moment."Talking to girls…"

"What?"Maka exclaimed."But Tsubaki said that you were charming. That you kissed her hand and everything."

"Yeah about that..."Lance confessed."That was all just a ploy to get under Black*Star's skin before the fight."

"But you still said you'd talk to Crona."Maka reminded firmly.

"I know and I will. It's just I don't know what to say."Lance explained."Tsubaki was easier to come up with a tactic for. But Crona seems way too delicate for my normal approach."

"Your "normal approach" Just how many girls have you done this too?"Maka demanded."What are you some kind of playboy."

"What? Of course not! It's just something I've had to do a few times is all."Lance stated."I take no pleasure in it."

"God why I'm I telling you all of this?"Lance asked himself aloud."You must think I'm some kind of freak."

Taking a deep sigh he leaned against the railing before muttering."Not that I would blame you if you did."

_I can't believe this_. Maka thought, taking a sigh of her own.

"Look I don't think you're a freak."She began, which wasn't a completely true statement but that wasn't the point."Can you just try to say something to her? At this point I'll take help from anyone, even you."

"I-I guess I can try."Lance breathed, relaxing a little bit.

"I guess that's all I can hope for at this point."Maka grimaced.

"Don't worry when I put my mind on something I usually get it down."Lance said, daring to show confidence."If you want me to talk to your friend then I won't let you down."

* * *

When Lance and Maka came back inside Veronica was telling the guests a tale of one of their more recent souls collected.

"And just then it lunged at Lance with its huge claws."Veronica bellowed."But he wouldn't have that and slashed me deep into its hand and bashed it in the face with Mark."

"Sounds badass," Soul commented, totally engrossed with the tale.

"But the fight wasn't over just yet."She continued, feeling pleased at how enthralled her audience seemed to be with the tale she had spun."As lance swung to kill it off, it jumped away revealing large springs beneath his feet, sky rocketing him into the atmosphere."

"What happened next?"The black blob that had randomly popped out of Crona's back while Maka and Lance were outside and called itself Ragnorak asked.

"Grunting with all his might Lance threw Mark straight at the kishen, knocking it out of the sky and breaking its springs."

"But how did Mark get down then." Crona timidly asked.

"Lance caught me of course."Mark answered, playing along with his sister's wild story telling.

"Precisely," Veronica nodded. "Once the damned thing had landed Lance was right on its tail. Claw and sword clanged in the night as the two exchanged blows. As Lance soon obtained the upper hand the beast revealed one more trick up its sleeve. Unleashing scorching fire upon us Lance ducked and sliced at its lower regions, distracting it long enough to finally submit the final blow."

"Wow."Maka breathed."You really did all that Lance?"

"Well what can I say?"Lance said modestly."All in a day's work,"

"Still," He said, taking a seat next to Crona which caused Veronica to raise her eyebrow in curiosity."It's nothing compared to Asura. I heard you delivered the final blow yourself Maka."

Veronica couldn't help but scowl at Lance. She goes through all the hard work of actually making him sound cool and he just tosses all the attention onto someone else.

"Well I didn't do it by myself."Maka pointed out, clasping Soul's shoulder."We all played our parts."

_Ugh why can't people just brag a little in this country?_ Veronica thought with a shake of her head. _I only want to_ see a _little. All this modesty is making me sick._

"So Crona, tell me about yourself."Lance said warmly to the timid pink haired swordswoman as they sat together on the couch.

Veronica instantly felt something she couldn't put a finger on flare up inside by the way he said that. But instead of losing her head she decided to resist the urge to assault him with a blunt object….at least until their company left.

"Well-Um I don't have anything to tell."The pinkette stammered her response.

"Well that can't be so."Lance assured with a smile."Everybody has something to tell."

"You wouldn't want to hear it."Crona replied glumly.

"I might or I might not."Lance mused."We'll never know unless you give it a try."

Veronica's fury had reached new heights at this point and she could feel herself shaking in contained rage.

"Hey four eyes!"Ragnorak screeched appearing out of Crona's back."Quit trying to put the moves on Crona."

"Moves?"Crona repeated in confusion.

"I was doing no such thing."Lance proclaimed in protest."I was simply attempting to get to know her."

"Yeah I'm sure."Ragnorak snorted."You keep your grubby hands away from her. She may be an ugly pig but she's still too good for the likes of you."

"For the likes of me?"Lance stated, his voice rising."You're going to insult her like that and then say I'm not good enough for her?"

"MAKA CHOP!"

The blob didn't have enough time to see it before it struck its head. Maka had brought a large hard cover book down upon Ragnorak's head, rendering him unconscious.

Mark burst into laughter watching the spectacle before him. Crona had sheepishly fled into the corner, crouching down in an attempt to be unseen. And suddenly Veronica felt guilty for her brief anger towards her and Lance.

Now she only felt bad for her.

* * *

It had all been going so well before that stupid blob popped out. Maka had been greatly surprised at how well Lance had performed, just the right amount of caring without being to forward.

But now Crona was in the corner trying to seclude herself off from the rest of the room. Maka was going to say something to make her feel better but someone beat her to the chase.

"Hey."Lance said gently, kneeling down to her eye level."Are you okay?"

_Well the answer to that is rather obvious isn't it?_ Maka thought bitterly.

"I apologize if I made you at all uncomfortable."Lance continued."For if I did, know that it was not my intention."

"I-I'm f-fine."Crona stuttered unconvincingly.

Maka had to give Crona some credit. Before she probably would have ran away by now, screaming about how she didn't know how to deal with something or other.

Standing up Lance extended his hand towards Crona, causing her to flinch, making him instantly pull back. Maka's face and palm quickly became acquainted at the awkward display.

"Well…"Lance sighed, scratching the back of his head, giving Maka a look that screamed "help me."

"Come on Crona."Maka said as she made her way to Crona."We've had enough fun for one night."

"Okay."Crona nodded, following Maka and Soul as they made their way out.

_Well that could have gone better_. Maka thought wistfully. _They're both so dysfunctional but maybe that would_ _make_ _them even more cute as a couple_. She thought hopefully.

This could be her first attempt as a matchmaker now she had to find someone who could tolerate Kid's OCD….

**And there it is. Thanks for reading and if you review you get one of my imaginary cookies.**


	13. Party Time?

**(A/N)Sorry for the long delay. Life's been hectic what with school and what not but I'm going to try to update faster for you my fan(s).**

**Anyway back to the story.**

* * *

The Gallows Mansion, An extravagantly large structure made for Death himself and also one hell of a place to throw a party. Or so Felix thought just from looking at the mansion's imposing exterior.

The door itself was an indicator at the impressiveness that lied within. It might have been intimidating under different circumstances but tonight Felix was too stoked too bother caring. He had been looking forward to this party most of the week and the vibrations resonating from inside the house he felt as soon as he got close made him that much more excited.

Pushing open the door, all his expectations came to fruition. The large room was filled with other students. Some dancing others talking but all around the energy was festive. The music blared loudly and everyone was dressed in their finest attire, as was accustomed to Kid's parties he had heard.

Dressed to impress and already pumped he and Trish entered. She had picked out both of their outfits. For Felix she had chosen a fashionable dark blue suit while she wore an elegant red cocktail dress. The host himself was in the center of a small crowd towards the corner, garbed in a slick black vest with a bright red bow tie.

But Kid wasn't why he was there. The first person to tell him, even before Trish, was Kyla. He had been seeing her daily at DeathBucks and she was soon becoming a close friend. Felix had even met her twin brother Tom who, despite looking almost identical to his sister, could not be more different. Where she was calm and friendly Tom seemed always hyper and in constant need of entertainment.

As if brought by thought the two appeared.

"What's up man?"Tom greeted, slapping Felix on the back. Clad in an all black suit."Rockin party right?"

"Totally," Felix smiled at the boy's tenacious behavior.

"There you are."Kyla exclaimed, pulling them both into a big hug."We've been waiting all night."

Her chose of attire was much more….unique, to say the least. Felix could only describe it as very snow white-ish.

"And look who I found."She stated jovially, dragging a very annoyed looking Lance behind her.

"Tell me why am I following you again?"Lance grumbled, pulling his hand away from hers.

"Because," She explained."I told you so, remember?"

"Oh yes how could I forget?"Lance mused, shaking his head irritably.

"Oh come on guy, lighten up."Tom chipped."We're all pals here."

"Says the guy who I've just met" Lance quipped."Oh hello Felix, Trish." noticing them for the first time.

"Nice suit."Felix smirked.

The Victorian era suit was certainly another stand out among the crowd, and Lance was obviously annoyed with the ruffly collar which he constantly pulled at.

"Yes, it wasn't my chose."Lance admitted."Word of advice; don't have an argument with your weapon and then ask them to go pick up your suit."

"Noted," Felix assured.

"Well I think you look good in it."Trish commented.

"You're too kind."Lance responded, only half paying attention.

"Why are you glaring over there like that?"Kyla questioned quizzically.

"Oh what, I wasn't glaring."Lance said dismissively."I just thought I saw something."

"No you were staring intently at that girl in the suit over there."Tom pointed out.

"Only because she was glaring at me first," Lance admitted."Can I go now?"

"Fine, but only on one condition," Kyla stated.

"And what would that be?"Lance asked bitterly, crossing his arm.

"Give me a hug."She answered, holding out her arms.

"Not a chance."Lance refused."I'm not a….hugger."

And with that he turned to leave but was quickly caught by surprise as Kyla pulled him into a sneak attack from behind, almost making him jump in surprise and try to escape, but Kyla's grip was too tight and he couldn't get away.

"I guess I made a hugger out of you after all."She grinned.

"Is there a reason why you feel the need to put your hands on me?"Lance asked.

"I can think of a few."Trish giggled.

"Well on that note I make my leave."Lance said, sliding out of Kyla's embrace and disappearing into the crowd.

"And there he goes."Felix noted."What do you see in that guy anyway?"

"I think he's dreamy."Trish swooned."Almost as much as Kid,"

"A new crush already? I feel as if I should be shocked but alas I am not."Felix stated.

"I find him fascinating."Kyla explained."I can never get a good read on him."

"Oh you and your fixation with the unknown and the unexplainable," Tom snorted."When will you learn?"

"After I know," She answered, smiling wickedly.

* * *

Today had been a long day from the beginning. Lance had been debating whether or not if he even wanted to go to Kid's party. The idea of a large space almost filled to capacity with strangers was indeed daunting but he felt as if he owed an obligation to Kid to attend.

He knew Kid would insist that he didn't have to go if he didn't want to, but that just made him feel all the more obligated. Also since he had started to hang out with Maka and Crona they seemed to assume he was going as well. So against his better judgment he had informed his weapons to make preparations the day before.

Kid still was avoiding him. But if Kid was simply trying to prolong facing some confrontation between the two for as long as possible Lance was only too happy to oblige. Confrontations rarely worked out well for Lance so he avoided them at all cost. That was a primary reason why neither of his weapons knew of his heritage. Why trouble them with his problems?

The day before the party Lance asked Veronica to buy him a suit. Her reaction was not unexpected.

"Why should I?"She huffed."Get it yourself."

Lance sighed, thinking of a good excuse. "Because I lack your great fashion sense, that's why."

"Nice try. But your so called "charm" doesn't work on me."Veronica retorted.

"Oh come on."Lance pleaded."I know for a fact that you and Mark don't have anything nice to wear to the party. Neither do I so why not just pick me something up while you're shopping? We practically wear the same size so you'll know what to look for."

"We do not wear the same size!"Veronica snapped.

"Right, so I didn't catch you in my boxers last night."Lance laughed."Which is kind of weird now that I think of it.."

"I told you I was out of underwear!"Veronica barked.

"What out of your own boxers?"Lance quipped, playfully raising an eyebrow.

"Why you!"She screamed. And for a moment Lance thought she was going to try to go all stabby on him. But then she seemed to calm down. That should have been his first warning.

"Okay you're right. I'll just go and get Mark and we'll be on our way."Veronica nodded.

"Really?"Lance asked skeptically, still expecting an attack at any moment.

"Uh huh" She confirmed."And believe me you'll look bloody irresistible with it on."

"Okay…."Lance said, a little perplexed by her sudden change of demeanor."Well I'll see you when you get home."

And with that she had left grinning in maniacal delight. This time she would be the one out smarting him.

Lance was a bit concerned about her behavior but decided against worrying about it. He decided to just try to enjoy the rare alone time he had before him.

Lying down on the couch that doubled as his bed, Lance kicked his feet up and sighed. He so seldom had the time to sit back and contemplate his life nowadays. Not like before…

Now he was busy most of the day, trying to stay awake in class and trying to keep up his act of normality and most daunting of all communicating regularly with his fellow students. Not only that but apparently he was befriending them as well.

Friendship had been an unfamiliar concept for a long time now. After he had left for the independent soul collecting experiment he never stayed in place for long and even when he met Mark and Veronica it took him a while for him to feel comfortable around them.

Now they were his only reason to even go to the DWMA. But he doubted they felt the same way about him. Why would they? It was him that he was talking about after all. They probably just tolerated him so they could become death scythes. After that they would most likely trade in for some one better.

_Hardly a difficult task_. Lance thought. _Maybe then they'll have the meister they deserve. Not one who sits down all day pitying himself._

And on that happy note Lance decided to get up and go for a walk to clear his head. Sitting still is so overrated anyway.

* * *

When Veronica got home Lance wasn't there, which was perfect for her evil scheme. Now she could hide Lance's suit until tomorrow and he would be none the wiser.

The suit she had gotten him was absolutely wonderful. He'd look so ridiculous he'd regret he ever made fun of her. It had been a tough decision between this or beating him to a pulp but looking now Veronica knew this was much better. This kind of punishment would leave a lasting message.

Hiding the suit under her bed so she could hide it until there was no time for Lance to buy a new one, she waited, telling Mark to make sure not to give Lance any hints about his "surprise" suit.

As if on cue the sword meister appeared. Most likely from another one of his "walks". Honestly just one time she would like to be invited to one of these walks just to see the appeal to something so mundane.

"Hey guys."Lance greeted as he stepped in the door."You get the cloths?"

"We certainly did."Veronica smiled knowingly."We most certainly did."

"Cool, can I see my suit?"Lance asked as he removed his coat.

"Um no not yet we want to surprise you with it."Veronica fibbed poorly._I guess I should've picked up acting notes on Lance._

"Eh whatever" Lance dismissed, jumping on to the couch. "What's for dinner?"

"Depends on what you're making."Veronica Replied bluntly.

"I think you mean what _we're_ making for dinner."Lance corrected.

The reason Lance corrected her was simple, ever since their initial cooking disaster. Whenever they didn't order delivery Lance and Veronica prepared the household meals together to save time and so they could learn to survive without room service. Veronica couldn't say that their concoctions were becoming any better but at least they had food in their bellies, which was something at least. Small victories she supposed.

Lance seemed to enjoy it at least. He was always chatting about something or other. Veronica tended to just smile and nod. She would never admit it but she was happy to see him acting like his usual self again. He was always so quiet in school. He didn't make smart mouthed comments or anything, and lately he kept all his attention focused on that book he was reading while she and Mark listened to whatever Professor Stein droned on about.

Despite his inattention, he always knew the homework material and could answer almost any question the Professor asked him. It intrigued her terribly and she had to remind herself that there was still much to learn about her meister that he didn't let on. Perhaps tomorrow night would be a learning experience.

Maybe, just maybe, she could tap into the enigma that was her very own meister.

* * *

Lance could feel his grip tighten as he clutched the jacket of the outfit he was expected to wear.

"What is this?"He demanded, uncharacteristically angrily for him.

"What does it look like?"Veronica snickered, showing obvious satisfaction at her deed.

Lance struggled for a second, trying hard to contain his anger before pushing it all down. Taking a deep breath he calmed down. It was okay he just had to get a new suit the party wasn't until….ten minutes. Crap.

Now he was worrying. There was no way he could go out in that thing. He'd be ridiculed, made a laughing stock, never to be allowed back into public and all because he had been snippy with Veronica.

_Veronica_.

This was her fault. Well if she thought he was going to let her win she had another thing coming. Mustering up all his talent he prepared himself for the lies he was about to tell.

"It looks."He began, pausing for added effect."Wonderful! I thought you were going to bring back some drab generic suit but this. This is simply outstandingly unique. I bet there'll be no one in anything like this."

"What?"She breathed, looking both shocked and disappointed before changing her tune."Oh yes of course you like it. I picked it out after all."

Lance had to give her some credit. It looked like she was picking up some tricks from him on the acting department.

"So where's your dress?"Lance asked feeling pleased with denying Veronica the satisfaction of his expected reaction. "A meister must always be in control of his emotions" his mom had once told him. It seemed her words were true.

"Right here," She said pulling out a slim black suit and tie.

"That's what you're wearing?"Lance asked. _I guess I won't be the only one looking ridiculous_.

"Uh huh, I bought it on sell."She answered, ignoring his skepticism."Give me a minute and I'll go get dressed."

As soon as her door was closed Lance unleashed his held back sigh. Bitterly he entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The elegant apparel was a burden to put on but he soon made his way into it, examining his reflection in the mirror Lance couldn't make up his mind on the outfit. On one hand it was definitely ludicrous and Veronica would soon feel his wrath for even buying it but on the other there was a sense of regality he felt now that he was wearing it.

Either way there was no time now so he might as well get used to it.

Stepping out of the bathroom he saw that the others were now dressed as well. Mark was sitting down in his suit with his dress shorts and knee high socks dangling off the counter he had perched himself onto, but Lance's attention was elsewhere. Veronica was sitting back in the couch, her feet on the arm. Fully covered in her black suit and Lance was mistaken, she didn't look ridiculous at all. She looked….. Lance couldn't decide which word was best to describe her.

"Finally there you are."She snorted impatiently."If you're done applying your makeup we should probably get a move on already."

_Elegant? No that's not right hmmm maybe astounding? No that's not right either..._His mind thought as he examined her. The slim black suit was much less baggy than her usual attire, punctuating her slender curves and showing off her long skinny legs that Lance had never before noticed.

She was, she was…. breathtaking.

"No witty smart arse Remark?"She asked when he remained silent."What a delightful change of pace."

_Yes_. He supposed. _Breathtaking seems more than suitable_. Not only had her choice of apparel changed but there was something else too. Lifting his gaze he noticed the ruby red lipstick matching her hair and the black mascara encircling her blue eyes.

"Come on let's go."She ordered rather than suggested.

"Oh…..yeah lead the way."Lance managed to say, having difficulty formulating the simple sentence.

Trekking down the path that led to the Gallows Mansion, Lance regained his thoughts and a sense of suppressed dread crept its way back into his head. He had been temporarily distracted but now the accursed memory of what he was clad in came back. Hopefully the place would be dark and he could stay away from the horde of people and avoid notice.

_Not much different than my everyday plan_. Lance noted with a bitter smirk.

It was at the large wooden doors of the mansion that Lance fully braced himself for impact. Pushing slowly, he awaited for the worst.

And, as usual, his fears were proven correct.

From wall to wall people stood, either dancing or conversing with one another. Bodies rubbing up along each other as the music blared. Yep this is what he had expected. But he didn't dare join the fray unless he had to. The grinding around him rubbed him the wrong way and he instantly regretted coming.

But he was here and he couldn't leave now. Not with Mark and Veronica to bear witness. In every man's life there are moments when he has to confront things he'd rather not face. For Lance this was one of those things, which was kind of sad once he thought about it, His great struggle being a crowded room.

In smooth strides in a pace that hopefully appeared natural he made his way into the fray, receiving the occasional look of perplexed interest at his selection of wardrobe. But mostly, to his delight, he was ignored, merely another sheep in the herd. And he was glad to say that his outfit was in fact not the most ridiculous thing there. The students of the DWMA were a bit more eccentric than he had thought.

In the moving jumble of limbs and bodies Lance was quickly lost in the horde and separated from his weapons.

It was here Lance came to a conundrum. What should he do? He didn't dare approach any of the strangers conversing with one another. Nor did he wish to partake in the "dancing" that was going on either, If you considered rubbing your private parts up against another's private parts dancing, which he didn't.

So instead of those options Lance chose another, walking in elongated circles trying to look like he was going somewhere, and for the first half an hour or so this worked fine. But then the inevitable occurred. He was recognized, by none other than his "friend" Kyla Tenebrae.

"Hey Lance."She greeted with a smile."Interesting outfit,"

"I could say the same to you."He retorted."And what's it to you?"

"Ooh someone's feeling hostile."Kyla noted, smirking."What's the matter? Can't handle the crowd?"

"I'm handling it fine thank you very much."He grumbled, crossing his arms."And, again, what's it to you?"

"Handling it fine huh? Because from what I saw you were wandering around aimlessly,"

This took him aback" You noticed that?"He asked sheepishly.

"No but it's what I imagined you'd be doing."She explained.

"Of course it is."He sighed. _Are my actions really that easily predicted?_

"So what brings a guy like you to a place like this?"She inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"A guy like me?"He repeated. "And what could that possibly mean?"

"Oh you know the whole quiet introspective type."She explained animatedly. "I'm sure there's something else you'd rather be doing than this. It's not your thing."

_Dammit_. She was right of course. But he couldn't let her know that. Then that'd be one more thing on her list of rights tonight which was already to lengthy for Lance's taste.

"Maybe you don't know as much about me as you think you do."Lance said in rebuttal, trying to change his demeanor to something more confident.

"That's certainly possible I suppose."She mused."But I think I'm right on the mark with you."

"Now come on I see Felix."She said, grabbing his arm by the wrist and dragging him through the crowd before setting him a few feet from where she was going.

"Wait here."She ordered, pointing a finger down to where he stood."I'll introduce you first."

Lance could only stand obediently for reasons beyond him as she bounded away to meet with Felix and someone he could only assume was her brother. _Why am I waiting? I should seize this opportunity as a perfect escape._

But he didn't, for some unknown reason he ignored the voice in his head that told him to flee. His feet seemed cemented into the ground as he awaited her return. When she finally did with her ensemble following he instantly regretted it.

She yanked him forward and presented him like a trophy."And look who I found."

With the fresh new pairs of eyes on him Lance had to ask himself out loud."Why am I following you again?"

* * *

With that encounter out of the way he slipped into the crowd hoping not to receive yet another hug from those he left. _Now where was she?_

He had sensed her glaring from across the crowded room. So naturally he glared right back. She seemed agitated about something so he decided to go talk to her.

Right as he made his way he noticed the crowd start to grow smaller as the DJ announced something he wasn't listening to, something about a slow dance or something.

Brushing past shoulders he followed her red hair, slowly making progress in the sea of departing party goers.

He caught her hand just as she made to leave the dance floor.

Just then he noticed a bright light and looked up to see a spot light was pointed directly at him. Whatever he was about to say to Veronica was lost as the color drained from his face. For her part she looked just as alarmed as he was.

"And the lights land on the lucky couple!"The DJ announced."Ready to make the first slow dance of night!"

"You idiot!"Veronica hissed quietly."He said the spotlight was going to land randomly on a couple and that all the singles should clear off."

"Oh and It just landed on us?"

"Yes, it would appear so."

"And they expect us to dance?"

"Correct again."

"Well."Lance said as the dancing space cleared entirely."That's not good at all is it?"


	14. A Night For Dance and Reconnaissance

"No I wouldn't say so."Veronica replied, showing obvious distress as she scanned the empty dance floor. Abandoned save for the two of them.

A deadly silence crept over the room as nearly all eyes turned to them in anticipation. More eyes than Lance had ever seen at one time, or wanted to for that matter. This was like one of his worst fears coming to fruition.

"Well Lance what do we do?"Veronica asked worriedly.

For a single moment Lance couldn't answer. To numbed by fear to move or even talk. There was nothing in the world but him and the eyes.

But then that moment passed.

Thinking quickly he started his plan as soon as each step came to him."Okay I've got an idea. Take my hands and follow my lead."He whispered into her ear, gripping her hands and leading her into the center of the dance floor.

Grasping one hand and placing the other delicately on her waist, Lance mentally prepared to go through hell and back and maybe one more time after that. Her grip was uncharacteristically gentle and the soft fabric of her fingerless gloves felt surprisingly pleasant.

"So? What's the plan then?"Veronica asked in a hushed voice.

"Well first I'm going to need you to put your hand on my shoulder."Lance stated, waiting for to do so."Okay and now we dance."

"We dance?"Veronica snorted."That's your big solution?"

"It's not my best plan I'll admit."Lance confessed."But I don't see much chose in the matter."

And before they could say more the music started. It was a lot more slow and romantic than the previous selection of music and Lance figured a slow easy dance would be most appropriate. Lance didn't dance much and he had absolutely no experience doing it with a partner whatsoever, but from what he had seen on TV it didn't look that complex.

"Follow my lead."

And so they began. Taking slow, deliberate steps as the song started slow. _Okay nothing's gone wrong yet. Maybe I can do this._

The rhythm started to pick up in speed along with their dancing. Lance threw in a twirl every once and a while to avoid looking repetitive and for her part Veronica did a remarkable job as well. He had never seen her move so gracefully but then again he was usually the one doing the foot work.

_You know this isn't half bad_. Lance thought cheerfully as he span Veronica around once, twice, thrice then just as quickly brought her back in.

And suddenly he was someone else, bolder than ever before. Smiling without even realizing it he picked up his pace. Dancing in circles quicker and quicker until the music slowed down, spinning this beautiful girl in his arms. And in that moment she was the most beautiful girl in sight if not the entire world.

They span and span and span again. Climaxing in a low dip, their faces mere inches apart. The music ceased and their dance ended just as quickly as it had began.

And once more he was Lance Rodriguez, panting slightly as held Veronica above the ground, scanning the gathered attention for any hint of mockery only to find silence but then, surprisingly, applauding hands, clapping as they refilled the dance floor.

Pulling Veronica back up, he was quickly surrounded by a crowd of questions, high fives, and slaps on the back. Lance did his best to smile and nod as the horde slowly started to relent, finally ending with a troubled looking Kidd.

"Oh Lance thank goodness."Kidd stated franticly, straightening Lance's collar to comfort himself."I saw the spotlight landed on you and I was worried-"

"Relax Kidd."Lance said."It's okay, it landed on us, we danced and now we're fine."

_Forever the worrier_. Lance thought with a shake of his head. _When will he realize that I don't need him watching my back anymore?_

"Okay as long as your fine."Kidd said, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder."Sorry but I have to entertain guests. Talk to you later."

When all the people seemed to have had moved on Lance finally heaved a sigh of relief. Somehow he had survived with nary a scratch and since he didn't know most of the people there he figured he would be forgotten fairly soon.

"Well that was surprising."Veronica said beside him."I had no idea you could dance."

"Indeed. Neither did I."Lance said, noticing he was still holding Veronica's hand, which he quickly released." just a spur of the moment thing. Hey where's Mark?"

"I left him with Tsubaki."She explained."I just was looking for you when the spotlight came on."

"Yeah I saw you glaring."Lance said."Which wasn't very polite by the way, care to explain?"

"Me? Glaring? No."She snorted."I was merely observing as you were paraded around by your new friends."

"My new friends?"Lance repeated."Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

"As if," She scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Well don't bother."Lance said dismissively."They're not my friends."

"Not even the girl who had her arms wrapped around you?"She demanded, raising an eyebrow accusingly.

"I'm not entirely sure to tell you the truth."Lance admitted."She seems to assume we're friends at the least."

"Well she seemed pretty "friendly" to me."Veronica retorted.

"You are jealous aren't you?"Lance goaded."I didn't figure you for the type, though I suppose I'm not really surprised now that I think of it."

She grinded her teeth menacingly at him, "You should count yourself very fortunate that we are surrounded by possible witnesses."She hissed."Now I suggest you attempt to wow me with some more surprise dance expertise in the hope that I may forget about this."

Lance new she wouldn't forget but that wouldn't stop him from trying. Once again taking her hands awkwardly they resumed their dance for a few more songs before settling down on a small table to the side of the room.

The night hadn't had been as terrible as he thought it would be, Lance supposed. Not that his expectations had been particularly high but still. But with the continued stress of being surrounded on all fronts there was one thing he was craving horribly. The one thing he couldn't have.

But he wasn't so addicted to let it grind his gears too badly. Just sitting back in his chair and listening to a bit of music was enough to put it out of his mind. Watching all the various people continuously dance around the room had its own sort of sereneness to it too. All that mixed with the added company of Veronica made it seem almost pleasant.

Sitting there silently tapping his foot may have been enough for him but it apparently wasn't enough for his sword.

"Well I'm bored."She stated bluntly."If you plan on doing something fun I'll be over there."

And so he watched her saunter away, he felt a surprising sense of disappointment at seeing her go. Like he wanted her to stay but only if she wanted too.

_Oh well_. He thought absent mindedly. _Time to get a smoke_.

Scanning the vicinity for anyone who might disapprove (namely Veronica or Kidd) he made his way to the door with slow innocent strides, looking to all the world like he was just getting a breath of fresh air. Yes fresh air that's what he was going out for or so they could all believe.

Sliding out the closing door, Lance snuck out into the starless night. Even the moon was nowhere to be seen, not smiling its bloody wicked grin. With no natural light the only source for miles were from the mansion and street lamp posts.

The street was empty, well at least it appeared empty. It was times like this that made Lance wish he had soul perception so he could properly scan the area. His mother had had it so why didn't he?

Leaning against the wall he popped out his pack and retrieved a cig, lighting it slowly with his lighter as he took in the first sweet puff, reveling in it as it filled his lungs before breathing it out gently in a cloud of smoke. _That's_ _the stuff_. He thought with a satisfied smirk.

It was hard for him to relax too much knowing his razor sharp partner was only a wall away. Still he tried to savor as much pleasure as he could. Pleasure was a fleeting thing after all. One should take full advantage of it while one can. That was his philosophy on the matter anyway.

It was not lost to him how hypocritical of a thought that was for him who was constantly hiding who he really was. Not that he knew who he really was but it definitely wasn't that mask he wore everyday at school. Maybe he was that guy in the center of the room circling Veronica in his arms with a smile on his face as he gazed into her beautiful green eyes…..

Then right in the middle of his insightful self inspection he was interrupted by an intruder. Quickly extinguishing the cigarette on the wall behind him he assumed a natural position, adjusting his posture accordingly. Then emerging from the opened door stood Liz, the oldest of Kidd's weapons if he recalled correctly.

She was in a red dress that ended at her knees with high heels contributing to her already tall height. Lance had to look up to avoid being at eye level with her breast. He never realized how grateful he was for Veronica being just as tall as him. It'd be dreadfully awkward if she was that much taller than him when they danced.

"Hey Kidd saw you walk out here and he asked me to check on you."She explained.

_Oh that explains it, big brother Kidd always watching my back whether I want it or not._

"He shouldn't worry so much."He said, in a slightly humored voice to show her he really was fine."I just stepped out for some fresh air."

This answer seemed to satisfy her but before she could leave she seemed to notice something.

"Is that smoke?"She asked, sniffing the air.

"I don't know. Smells like it."Lance said, doing his best to play dumb.

"Maybe someone was out here smoking."Liz mused."Too bad, I haven't smoked in forever."

The grip on his previously lit cigarette tightened as he contemplated telling her the truth. But that would be silly. She'd tell Kidd and if she didn't still why would he want to share his smokes anyway. The whole idea was illogical on nearly every level. There was no way he'd be doing that.

"Actually now that you mention it, someone was smoking out here."Lance told, raising what remained of his cigarette, contradicting all his previous thoughts.

He closely noted her reactions in his mental diary. First astonishment then contemplation quickly followed by fiendish delight. "And Kidd made you sound like such a good boy."She smirked."I hope you intend on letting me bum one or else who knows what he may find out."

Lance smirked as well at the little joke. They were both in on it. Lance could tell her threat wasn't serious. After all they would both be guilty in Kidd's shiny gold eyes, Co conspirators in a sense. Slipping his hand into his concealed pack he handed her one. She pulled out a lighter of her own and lit the end.

"Ah.' She moaned as the puff of smoke escaped her lips."It's been too long."

Lance couldn't help but smirk. For some reason he always smiled when he saw someone else satisfied. Removing his lighter he lit his already half smoked cigarette, savoring its flavor before it died to remain only as faint smoke and left over ash. All the while the two made polite chit chat, About Kidd, the school, smoking, and life in general. After about two cigarettes each they decided to go back in to avoid looking anymore suspicious. Not before both chewing some mints and gum, of course.

Surprisingly Lance had enjoyed himself quite a bit. He was even happy to see Maka and Crona as he made his way back in, though this time he succeeded in hiding his smile. All in all it wasn't a bad night.

Not a bad night at all.

* * *

Veronica never blushed.

Not ever, she prided herself on this fact. She hadn't blushed since she was an innocent little girl too unaware to know how weak it was to do so. But now, with Lance's hand on her waist she could feel her cheeks getting flushed. No doubt matching her hair she thought grudgingly.

And he was just so bloody good at it too. Not that this was a particularly hard dance but still unless he had had lessons like her he had no right being so good.

And he was smiling. Lance smiling of all the things he could've done that just had to be it. Why couldn't he just give her that cool, calculating look he normally wore? Instead of this warm grin sending chills up her spine. Uh and his grip was so firm on her hand too it felt so nice…

Wait, what the hell was she saying? Why was she getting so worked up? It was just Lance. Just with his big brown eyes enlarged by his glasses staring at her like she was the only thing worth beholding…..

Damn, she did it again. She was lucky Lance was leading or else they might have slipped up. Maybe if she just tried not to think for a little while she could relax again and just let her body perform on autopilot.

That thought went away as soon as Lance took her down for a dip. Their faces only inches apart but for Veronica it didn't seem close enough. For reason beyond her she felt the sudden compulsion to get closer to Lance.

So they danced. Even after they're dance had ended they danced for a few more and she found herself relishing every moment in his arms. That was when she knew what she had to do.

She had to get away.

After they had stopped dancing they had sat at an empty table for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. Too comfortable, she wanted nothing more than to stay there and discuss whatever random topic came out of their mouths.

And that was why she left. Mumbling an excuse she retreated to an abandoned part of the mansion and she curled herself into a tight ball, her defense position. Why was she suddenly feeling like this? And what did it have to do with Lance? Maybe she was sick, she was certainly feeling sick right about then anyway.

Her defense position was a technique she had learned as a little girl to help clear her mind of thoughts and worries and so far it seemed to be doing its job. Who knew maybe in a few minutes she'd feel secure enough to move again.

_Okay I'm fine_. She reassured herself. _Now get up before someone sees you_. Dusting herself off, she strutted back to the dance floor, her normal confidence returning.

Just as she arrived she saw Lance walk in and talk to Maka and Crona. _Why was he outside? Whatever, doesn't matter._

For some reason she was more comfortable with Lance hanging with those two than the other blokes he had been with earlier. Maybe because the lack of touching going on or the fact that Maka was clearly in love with that white haired scythe of hers. Honestly the way she stared at him when she thought no one was looking was just a dead giveaway.

"What's up mates?"She asked as she joined in on their conversation.

"Oh hello Ronnie," Lance greeted, giving another one of his rare smiles that didn't seem to want to stay rare tonight. "I was just looking for you actually. Mark passed out on the couch so I figured we should go take him back to the apartment."

"Yes that would be best."She nodded only half paying attention as Lance said farewell to the two ladies next to them and led her to the hunched up form of her little brother sprawled on the couch. Gently hoisting him onto his shoulder Lance maneuvered through the crowd with her at his heels.

The night air was a nice change of pace from the musky scent inside. There was a slight odor of smoke but she ignored it. Her brain was too busy traveling a thousand miles a millisecond to care. So fast she could scarcely follow them so it all just became a blur of pictures and images that she didn't understand. Maybe it was best if she didn't even attempt to work out what her own psyche was trying to tell her.

Grrr. Maybe she was simply going mad.

"There something wrong Ronnie?"Lance spoke with a hint of amusement."Your cheeks are matching your hair."

Yes definitely mad.

"What? No threat on my life? I'm rather disappointed in you."Lance continued."Can you hear me? You're getting redder you know? Err your heads starting to look like a giant tomato, only missing the green part. Maybe I could get you a little green hat. That'd be cute wouldn't it?"

That got a reaction. Thrusting her fist she propelled Lance several yards away into a wall. Catching her brother in mid air as he gently landed in her hand. Not even stirring in his sleep.

"Now that's more like it."Lance groaned as he struggled to return to his feet, smiling a much more wicked grin than his earlier one that somehow seemed to suit him better as he dusted the dust off his suit and pulled at his lacy cuffs. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"Bloody hell," She grimaced.

She truly was completely, one hundred percent, absolutely freaking bonkers.

* * *

Glaucus had successfully assimilated himself into the party.

It had been all too easy really. The simple suit he wore proved to be just flashy enough for him to blend in without attracting unwanted attention. The wig also helped with masking his hair too. Not that it was necessary, he had already seen most colors of the rainbow in the hair of the DWMA students but still it made him nearly unrecognizable which was the major goal after all. Only his large blue eyes were left unaltered.

To think he could enter the house of Lord Death himself so easily was as disappointing as it was exhilarating. Only a wig, a suit, and a handy little spell and they let him right in, no questions asked. Not even a raised eyebrow at this total stranger. It was almost embarrassing on their part but maybe it was to be expected that they'd feel secure right after defeating the mighty kishen himself, completely unaware of the remnants of Arachnophobia still lurking in the shadows.

Not that he was a part of Arachnophobia. Large evil societies like that didn't suit his taste. He preferred working solo as a single operative making his own decisions. Like his current mission for example. It wasn't a mission of high class subterfuge or sabotage like he would have liked. Instead it was a mere reconnaissance operation, a chance to study the students of the fearsome DWMA in all their glory.

_Fearsome and glorious indeed,_

The images around him did much to dismiss that claim. Though he was sure some of these students were indeed fearsome it was hard to think that when he was surrounded by them all dancing like morons. And not even dancing well at that. He supposed for all their so called glory they were still just a bunch of kids and would behave as such.

Glaucus had considered registering himself into the DWMA once, before the school nurse had reportedly turned out to be a witch using soul protect. Now he was glad he had never did. This was exactly the sort of tomfoolery he'd rather not be a part of. But to best disguise himself he had entered the dance floor a few times. Succeeding in performing what he had heard was called a "grind," much to the pleasure of his dance partner while he had hid his disgust, both at her and the putrid dance.

The music was loud and bothersome. And the fray of moving limbs grated his nerves. It took a plethora of self control to not throw a spell or two into the middle of the crowd just to see the fools really dance. The image was enough to put a small smile on his face.

Slipping into a corner he pulled out his digital notepad and typed in a few notes on his observations, making special entries on some of the more intriguing students the DWMA. For instance there was the star of the evening himself, Death the Kidd, the son of Lord Death. Glaucus had been able to recognize his trademark golden eyes and the three white stripes wrapping around his head easily enough. He was quite well known after all. Glaucus felt the reaper's apparent obsession with symmetry could come in handy.

Just as he finished his entry about the son of death he heard the music stop abruptly. Growing curious, he walked over to see what was happening. The entire crowd that had once encumbered the dance floor had evaporated save for two single people; a boy with black hair and glasses in a fancy black Victorian suit and a girl with bright red hair clad in a more modern suit. A spot light had landed directly on top of them and the DJ was telling them to dance. For a moment Glaucus could swear he saw fear on the boy's face.

Then the expression shifted into something Glaucus was more familiar with. Confidence, grasping her hand he lead her throughout the room, gracefully matching every beat of the song that played as they stepped each harmonious step.

Watching the two so closely embraced, smiling at each other, their faces mere inches apart. And for a moment Glaucus felt something he couldn't quite place, something eerily similar to loneliness.

The notion quickly left his thoughts.

Figuring he had been there long enough he headed for the door, avoiding on comers as they reentered the dance floor. No one else was around the door so his departure went mostly unnoticed. He was greeted to vast darkness on all fronts as he pondered his night.

_Well that was very informative._

The intel he had gathered might be useful in the days to come. He knew Arachnophobia wasn't going to stay quiet for too long and he had his own plans to set into action soon. Things were about to get a lot more complicated for everyone involved. It was rather exciting in a way. To know the calm before the storm was going to end so abruptly. The clouds were overhead, the wind was blowing fiercely. All that was left was for the first spark of lightening to finally strike the earth.

Removing his wig he ruffled his stark white hair, letting his bangs hang over his eyes. With the street empty there was only one thing left to be said.

"Soul protect off."


	15. Things To Think About

It was less than a week after Kid's party when Lance was called down to the Death Room.

The speaker had interrupted Stein's lecture on the joys of dissection. "Will Lance Rodriguez and his weapons please report to the DeathRoom." The bodiless voice from the speaker system blared."Lord Death requests your immediate presence."

Lance was too curious at the announcement to be nervous about all the eyes on him and his weapons following him on his way out. A multitude of explanations ran through his head, most of them bad. Not that anyone could successfully predict what someone as eccentric as Lord Death would want.

The walk to the Death Room wasn't a particularly long one but Lance always liked to take his time to enjoy the scenic view of the ever blue sky in the reaper's domain. When he reached his destination he found said reaper sitting down on a small round table, enjoying a cup of tea.

"Oh Hello Lance!"The masked man bellowed, taking another sip."Come sit down and help yourself."

Also seated around the small round table were Felix and Josilyn and their respective weapon partners. Thinking about it, Lance had noticed their absence in class. Guess that explains that._ I wonder why I wasn't invited ahead of time._

Sliding into a chair Lance accepted the offered cup and waited until both Veronica and Mark had got theirs as well before asking his question."Thank you for the tea sir."He said with a sip."But certainly you requested us for more than just this."

"Why would I need a reason to invite my favorite new students over for a cup of tea?"The reaper asked, his oversized pinkie extended as he took another swig into his mask."Speaking of reasons, I have a mission for all of you."

Lance suppressed a sigh. While the reaper's antics could be amusing at times, they could also be quite bothersome."What would this mission entail?"He spoke, continuing in his businesslike manner.

"Hmm," The Death god considered for a moment."Let's just call it a team building exercise. Since none of you have any prior experience working as a unit, I thought what better time than the present for you to learn?"

His reasoning made sense. Lance had to admit. But the idea did not sit well with him. He was fairly confident in his ability to handle any single kishen, maybe even a witch, on his own with just Mark and Veronica. But he was unsure of his ability to cooperate in a group. He could take orders well enough but fighting alongside a fellow meister seemed like it would be difficult to say the least.

Josilyn remained as expressionless as ever at the news. As did Trish but Lance expected it was more forced on her part than Josilyn's natural iciness. Reiji on his part seemed completely indifferent to the news, like it was just another task to be completed to clear up his schedule while Felix's nervousness was clear to all in the room. Lance felt exactly how Felix looked but his poker face never faltered. Mark looked excited and Veronica too though she kept more calm than the tyke.

"And what exactly would we be doing on this mission?"Josilyn inquired.

Lord Death drained the rest of his tea, placing the cup on the table. "A few miles to the south of Death City lies a small ghost town. There has been recent activity that leads us to suspect the presence of a witch and one or more kishen."

"Working together?"Veronica asked.

"So it would seem. It is not unheard of for witches to trance kishen into being their minions. And we suspect that if a witch truly is present she may be a necromancer, seeking to use the abandoned cemetery to create a small army to do her biding."

The room was deathly quiet as the teenagers took in the seriousness of their assignment. A necromancer could make dozens, if not hundreds of kishen zombies to protect and serve her like obedient slaves blindly following their master.

Felix, speaking for the first time since Lance arrived finally broke the silence."Um Lord Death, are you sure about this? I mean you said it yourself that we didn't have a lot of experience at things like this. Shouldn't we start off a little smaller?"

Trish instantly glared him down. Obviously she was thinking about the possible souls that could be gathered including the witch's soul to make her a full-fledged death scythe.

"It's true. This mission would normally be assigned to a three star meister. But your class mates have all already been put into groups and have learned to link their souls with one another in combat. If you don't learn to quickly you may fall behind and never catch up and besides three one star meisters should be just as good as a three stared one."

"Sounds fun," Reiji commented, his mouth spreading into a wicked grin."Dibs on the witch's soul,"

"You can't call dibs!"Veronica and Trish screeched in unison, glaring daggers into the young weapon.

"Fine, fine the soul will go to the weapon who takes the witch down, that sound fair?"Reiji offered, his smile never leaving his lips. Obviously he thought it wouldn't be much of a competition.

"Sounds agreeable," Veronica almost growled.

"To the victor go the spoils as they say."Trish also agreed bitterly.

"You're on."Mark said looking at all of them.

"Heh I like this one" Reiji proclaimed."He's got spirit."

Mark seemed somewhat pleased at the approval of the older weapon as he leaned back in his chair.

"If I may interrupt," Lance interjected, surprising himself at how forceful he sounded."At what time shall we be leaving for this trip?"

"Oh let me think."Lord Death thought for a moment."Immediately"

Lance didn't show the surprise he felt. Nor did he show the doubt he instantly had in the likelihood of success. Instead he let his emotions remain dormant and just nodded. A nod was all he needed to do. He may not be ready or even confident but he'd try. He couldn't promise any more, and he wouldn't promise any less.

"We'll we be living this instant then?"Josilyn asked, as if it didn't matter one way or the other.

"You have exactly half an hour to prepare before your flight leaves."The death god answered before pulling a pocket watch from nowhere."Well it's more like twenty eight minutes now."

That got Lance thinking again. He usually traveled light so it wasn't too important but he did like to keep some supplies. In his coat which was hung back in the classroom, pockets filled with tools and tricks for nearly any occasion. Lance knew the plane would be at the left side of the city, a thirty minute walk but that could be diminished to about five minutes with good transportation since there was little to no traffic in Death City.

"Well I'm ready to go anytime."Trish stated matter of factly. Arms and legs both crossed in her seat.

"Yeah, me too," Felix said, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"As am I," Josilyn confirmed.

"I'll need to pick up something from my locker but yeah, I'm ready."Reiji nodded, appearing more excited than anything else.

"Yeah we're good too."Veronica said, speaking for her and her sibling."Well as good as we'll ever be."

All six pairs of eyes finally turned to him. Eyes brows raised and expressions expecting. "I'll need to grab something too."He said stoically, ignoring their eyes and frowns.

"Well don't keep the cabs waiting."Lord Death added."Twenty six minutes and counting,"

With a cab waiting Lance figured he wouldn't have to worry about time so he didn't immediately sprint for his coat like he might have, Instead opting for a brisk pace in the opposite direction from the rest of them, not to fast though. He wouldn't want to cause any unwanted attention. Especially from his soon to be team mates.

What he forgot though, was the impending bell ring, signaling to all the students that lunch had begun. And, just like any other day, the students couldn't get out fast enough and Lance soon found himself swimming against the tide in a sea of students. Eventually getting knocked down and ever so slightly trampled on by one of the heavier students of the DWMA.

After the first few, most people had the courtesy to move around or over him but not enough to actually help him up. It wasn't until a few minutes later when he felt someone hoist him up from his shoulders.

Slightly dazed Lance gently smacked the hands away once he was up, realizing they were Kid's. "Lance what happened to you?"

"Got stomped on, not important, I need my coat."Lance explained in a quick series of breaths.

"You got stomped on? What did father have you do in there?"Kid asked."And why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"No time to explain. Gotta go, see ya, love ya, bye."Lance summarized as he ran out the door, his senses coming back to him as he hurriedly put his coat back on.

The halls weren't too crowded now, just a few stragglers taking their time to get to lunch. Weaving through them was easy enough and didn't require too much concentration with his adrenaline already pumping. When he got outside he just barely managed to see a taxi cab pulling out of the school's parking lot.

Lance plucked his phone out of his pocket. The digital screen read 12:36.

_Now think. If Lord Death called us down at what eleven o five? Yeah, that sounds right. He talked for about ten minutes then told us we had a half an hour before our flight left. Hmm that means it leaves in exactly TWELVE FORTY FIVE! That's in less than ten minutes!_

Dialing the numbers with utmost haste he attempted to call Veronica to no avail.

12:37.

_Dammit_. He knew he couldn't run fast enough to catch up and he knew that plan was going to go up with or without him. Pounding his hand on the railing he let out an angry groan.

When he lifted his head though, a thought struck him. A stupid, ridiculous, adrenaline induced idea that had almost no chance at success._Nothing to lose, I suppose. Well accept my life._

_So nothing important to lose_, He corrected himself with a devilish smirk.

The buildings in Death City were quite uniquely designed. They were made almost completely of cobblestone with many engraving and spikes in seemingly random locations. Perfect for handholds,

The buildings were closely constructed around each other too. Someone could easily maneuver a way down to the bottom from the top with prior experience and planning.

Lance had neither.

But desperate times call for desperate measures as they say.

The first leap was surprisingly easy. With one single bound of his legs he was airborne and that's when the panic hit. His arms flailing wildly just barely managed to grab hold of the ledge of one of the buildings surrounding the school.

With a heave he hoisted himself up, brushing off dust from his clothes. Stretching a little, he regained some speed, continuing until the next jump.

His arms flailed less this time. He tucked and rolled moments before hitting the roof. He had used a similar move multiple times in combat and he was pleased at how well it worked in this foray.

The process quickly became a rhythm of repetition as he dived, leaped, ran, and climbed down to the end of the city. His muscles ached but he was determined. His descent was as quick as he could possibly go, more and more building left his feet as the minutes passed, the debt line coming dangerously closer each second.

But fatigue eventually wore on him and he had to stop. His throat was bone dry, the desert heat wasn't helping either. Reaching into his pocket he checked the time 12:42. He was so close he could see the plane, just a few more buildings away. He could do this, he could do this.

He jumped on to the nearest house. It was only a few feet of a gap so he wasn't too worried. The shingled roof provided little traction so he almost slipped, just barely managing to catch himself. The next house was farther away. Cracking his knuckles he made for it, his coat billowing behind him as he soared through the sky.

Mid way through the air a thought came to him. He wasn't going to make it. At this height the fall wouldn't kill him. But he certainly wouldn't be going anywhere soon. Begging his muscles to stretch he came closer, his hands just barely missing the gutters.

And he fell.

Fast.

Down.

But not for long, luckily he'd been able to grab onto the window sill beneath the roof. Amazed he silently thanked every training session he had endured for it had paid off. Still shacking he lowered himself down until he was at ground level.

The plane's engine could be heard as he sprinted as fast as legs will carry. Stride by stride he sped, ignoring his exhaustion, wishing he had longer legs.

Turing a corner he finally made it. Spotting the others he skidded to a halt. Supporting his weight on his knees he heaved."Sorry…. ….had to….. Get coat."He explained between pants. The throbbing in his head and the dryness in his throat made it hard to talk

"Ah I was wondering where you were."Josilyn said, checking her watch."Well quit wasting time. Get in the plane already."

The others only gave him odd stares as one by one they got in the small private aircraft. Only when he was on did his own weapons even ask him what happened.

"What happened?"Lance repeated."What happened was that you guys left without me."

"Well sorry."Veronica snorted."But you never showed up so we assumed you went without us."

"Ugh. Whatever."Lance scoffed as he yanked open a bottle of water and drank. His arms and legs were sore and aching but he hoped he'd be able to still fight. There was no way he was going to allow himself be a burden on his first team mission.

He drained the bottle just as the plane left the ground initiating the start of their little operation. He didn't know what to feel at that moment. He was too tired to have a whiny monologue about it either. So he did the logical thing for once.

He napped.

* * *

Kid was troubled, the kind of troubled usually reserved for symmetry freak outs. Ever since he had seen Lance he had been deeply confused. Why was he in such a hurry? What had father said to him? And why had he been trampled on by half the student body?

Even Kid, who liked to fancy himself a bit of an amateur detective, could draw no answers from the little information he had. He had deduced that whatever he was doing probably involved the other students who were currently absent. But for what purpose could his father need them for so long?

Discouraged, he made his way to the cafeteria, lost in his thoughts as he grabbed his tray and shoveled food onto it. Everyone was in their usual table of choice, Soul and Maka on one side, Black*Star and Tsubaki on the other with Crona seated close to Maka.

The sisters both took seats next to Tsubak. So Kid sat next to Crona to keep the sides even and symmetrical, not even bothering to notice how she fidgeted.

With his head resting in his palm he slowly ate his lunch little by little, a bored expression on his face as his spork monotonously went from his mouth to his tray.

He decided after class he'd go see his father and see what Lance and the others were up to. Until then he'd just have to distract himself.

"So whadaya guys think Lance is up to in the DeathRoom?"Maka asked no one in particular, obviously not sharing Kid's thoughts on the subject.

"I don't know. Maybe the new kid went and got himself into trouble."Soul guessed with an apathetic shrug."How much do we really know about this Lance guy anyway?"

Kid felt his eye brows narrow at that."What are you getting at?"Kid asked, brought into the discussion despite himself.

"Yeah Soul what are you getting at?"Maka also questioned.

"There's just something about that guy."Soul shrugged."I don't trust him. He always just sits there all day and hardly says two words. It's not normal. Remember how he talked to Crona the other day?"

"At least he actually stays awake in class."Maka retorted in Lance's defense."That's more than I could say about you. And I asked him to talk to Crona for your information."

"All I know is I kicked his ass."Black*Star casually added between mouthfuls of food, eliciting a sigh from his nearby partner."But" He added just as calmly."He did put up a good fight, so as far as I'm concerned he's alright by me."

"Wow Black*Star, that's actually kind of mature of you."Tsubaki complimented."Maybe Mifune sensei is starting to rub off on you."

Black*Star just shrugged, seemingly not caring one way or the other. Kid had to agree, ever since Black*Star had started practicing with Mifune weekly he had started to brag noticeably less, his fight with Lance being his relapse of course.

"Either way I'd keep an eye on him if I were you."Soul assessed."Trust me he's hiding something."

Well Kid couldn't argue with Soul on that. Lance was hiding something, but that was neither here nor there. He was going to say something in his defense. But someone beat him to it.

"Yes, I'd agree. He certainly is a most fascinating specimen."

"Professor Stein!"They all yelped, practically jumping from their seats. The lab coat clad teacher had somehow appeared directly behind Soul in the same chair he rolled around the classroom in without any of them noticing.

"When did you get here?"Maka questioned.

"Oh just a little while ago. Long enough to hear you gossip about our newest little swordsman."The professor answered, tightening the screw in his head in the process."I'm glad I'm not the only one intrigued by him, especially after that little display between him and Black*Star the other day."

"You saw that? But we had Papa as the official referee."Maka asked, confused.

"Well it just so happened that I was organizing some lessons at the time and I heard the commotion." Stein explained, grabbing the chocolate milk off Soul's tray."Naturally I was curious. So I decided to investigate."He paused to take a sip."I can't say that I was disappointed either."

"But he lost."Black*Star remarked, irritated."He couldn't have been all that impressive."

"Black*Star, Any student with the talent to focus their soul to that magnitude is a rarity. And the fact that he was able to last as long as he did with a much stronger opponent is quite the feat."The professor lectured."He made up with intelligence what he lacked in speed and strength"

"Well, I guess you have a point." Black*Star admitted, grudgingly.

"And surely Maka here noticed Lance's other disadvantage that he coped with."He gestured to the scythe meister.

"Huh?"Came Maka's confused response.

"Oh surely you thought to use your soul perception during the fight?"Stein asked."No? How disappointing. It's always in the midst of battle when a person's soul becomes the most stressed that we can see its contents undiluted. The shifting emotions and focus can make for quite the show." He took another sip."And I must say. Lance's soul was most intriguing to say the least. You can really see his parents in him."

Kid nearly choked on his food. Stein knew Lance's parents? And Lance's soul looked similar? To which one, his mother or his father?

"How'd you know Lance's folks?"Liz asked, beating Kid to the question.

"They were in my class when I was a student, if you must know. His father was Lord Death's personal Death scythe for a while, if I recall correctly."

"He must have become a death scythe before Papa."Maka breathed.

"How come he's not a Death scythe anymore? Did he move or something?"Liz guessed.

Kid tensed again. The news had been shocking enough when he heard it. There was no way to expect how the others might react.

"Uh I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to say."Stein stated, staring into the remainder of his stolen chocolate milk."It's on a strictly need to know basis and all that."

Kid gave a small sigh of relief. Crises averted. Though there was something still bothering him."What was it you were saying about Lance's soul professor?"

"Oh yes that."The mad scientist said with a sinister grin."I'm fairly certain you know how to use soul perception. Why don't you find out for yourself? I'd just hate to give it away."

Kid barely had time to glare before the bell rang once again."Oh would you look at that."Stein continued."We'd best get back to class. I'd hate to be late for my own lecture." And with that he rolled away, back to the classroom.

"Why can't adults ever just give a straight answer?"Soul grunted."And he stole my milk!"

Kid certainly had a lot more to think about now. What could be so unique about Lance's soul to grab Stein's attention so? So many questions needed to be asked, and the school day was only half over. Something told Kid this was going to be a very long lecture…


	16. The Mission Commences Pt1

"Return from beyond the grave to walk amongst the living once more" The young necromancer commanded."Come forth to serve your new master. Break the bonds of death and serve"

"Serve as kishen."

Life seemed to fill the corpse as its eyes opened for the first time since death. Stepping out of the recently dug up coffin it approached the witch, bowing before the one who had returned him to the ranks of the living.

"Master."It groaned, speaking for the first time in over a hundred years.

The dark haired witch felt immense satisfaction at her long last mastery over the art of reviving and commanding the dead, raising her hand in a grand sweeping gesture."Rise my minion. Rise and carry out my bidding."She demanded.

"Yes… My master."It obeyed.

"Good."She assessed, pleased."Now join the others with digging up all the graves."

"As my master commands."It agreed, exiting the abandoned church to join the other corpses in the graveyard.

Good, it was all going exactly as planned. Just as she was told it would. She had had her doubts about it but now it seemed they were in vain. She would reanimate the dead and use them as she saw fit. As a necromancer it was her right to use the dead. It was her gift and she wouldn't forsake it and hide away from the DWMA like a child, no, not anymore. Now they would be the one cowering in fear before her might.

"Bring in the next one Garik."She ordered Garik, the leader of her honor guard, and one of the few living people she knew.

"Right away, Lady Morena" He saluted, exiting to lead the newly resurrected cadavers into the church with the coffin.

Yes, all according to plan. With her new army of kishen her days of living in fear of others and her gift would finally be over. Harnessing her power she prepared to repeat the resurrection spell once again.

She'd prove her worth to Arachnophobia, and then fear would be a thing of the past.

Just like mother told her so.

* * *

A sudden jolt woke Lance up from his sleep. The unknown substance he had been using as a pillow suddenly disappeared, letting his head fall into nothingness.

Opening his eyes Lance noticed that everyone was up and about, talking about tactics and preparing for the upcoming skirmish. Lance was just starting to rub the sleep out of his eyes when he felt a poke in his neck.

"Ach!"He yelped, nearly jumping out of his chair only to be restrained by the fastened seat belt. Turning to his left he saw the culprit staring at him. Trish was kneeling in her seat, peering at him with her big green eyes. A grin on her face, no doubt pleased with his reaction to her little poke."You're cute when you sleep."She stated. Lance had to resist the urge to glare.

Veronica however lacked that self control.

"Ha, cute? Don't make me laugh. He snored like a dog."Veronica snorted, stabbing each of them with her eyes."Oh and the endless sea of drool. Yuck."

"I don't snore."Lance corrected, rolling his eyes. He knew that always worked to annoy her."Anyway we should get moving. What's our location?"

"We're a few miles out of Deathwood, the city where the necromancer was spotted."Josilyn stated in monotone."We stopped a distance away of the city to avoid being seen by our target."

It made sense, but Lance was still stuck on the fact that the town was named Deathwood. Was the entire state of Nevada influenced by Lord Death?

They soon headed out, walking the rest of the way in tense silence, the desert heat driving them forward as they strode on.

The desert atmosphere was almost serene considering, and Lance would have been content with the simple sounds of the blowing wind and their quiet steps. He needed time to think after all. The the situation wasn't ideal. Normally he'd read the dossier to find an opponent's already documented tendencies so he could try to exploit them to his advantage. But now he was left with no such advantage. He didn't even know what type of character he'd have played if he wasn't traveling with a group. He supposed he'd just have to stick to the stoic individual he portrayed at school.

Though the role was becoming rather dull.

Josilyn led the small band of students as they came closer to the abandoned town, with Reiji at a hands distance at all times. She was followed suit by Felix and Trish with Lance, Veronica, and Mark keeping the rear. Lance wasn't avoiding being close to Josilyn on purpose really. He just couldn't get over the way she stared at him, like he was just another kishen waiting to happen. As much as he resented it he could see where she was coming from. She no doubt kept a watchful eye with her soul perception at all times, awaiting the eventual spur of madness that would consume his soul and turn him into the vile creatures they had all been trained to fight since they were little.

He had hoisted the small shield onto his shoulders after the younger Arondight's whining had threatened to interrupt his thought process."So how bad are we going to mess this necromancer up, Lance?"The weapon asked from atop Lance.

Lance couldn't help but smirk."About as bad as we mess up any other opposition on our path to glory."Lanced said, humoring the kid."But that doesn't mean we should get careless alright? Stay by me or one of the others at all time and stay in shield form."

"Yes sir!"Mark saluted in mock professionalism.

"Heh, laugh it up little man. I'll just be happy to see you unhurt. Your sister would probably give me a few stabs if you scraped your knee."Lance chuckled.

"Three actually."Veronica clarified."Not big ones though, just small and painful ones."

"Ah, my favorite kind."Lance sighed."Just not the face okay? I gotta have something to get the ladies with after all."

"pfff. Maybe a few scars would do you some good. Put some semblance of manliness into that stockpile of estrogen you call a personality."Veronica snorted.

"Oh once again it seems you leave me with my head hung low."Lance pouted."Do you take pleasure in this? You, my dear Ronnie, are one cruel, cruel mistress."

"Whatever."She waved off."Let's just keep moving."

"Aw, she's no fun is she Mark?"Lance asked the small passenger seated on his shoulders.

"Please, try being raised with her."Mark agreed, receiving the deadliest of glares from his sister, sending a chill up both of their spines."N-no fun at all."

"What you all talking about?"Felix asked, slowing down to join the conversation, probably bored with all the silence that had been present up until the point.

"Oh nothing really."Lance said uneasily, nervous by the sudden new participant in their little chat.

"Just discussing the upcoming fight."Veronica stated."Any input you could give us about what kind of support we can expect from you?

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt."Felix decided."Trish is a trident so we'll be right up next to the action with you guys."

"You should think about using Mark then, in case you run into a problem."Veronica suggested, getting an odd look from the blonde meister.

"Use him? Isn't he Lance's weapon? You can't just pick someone else's weapon up and start swinging it."Felix explained, feeling a little flustered.

"I'm quite aware of that."Veronica stated, rolling her eyes."But Mark's still rather young, as you can see, so his soul is rather flexible. So it shouldn't be too hard for you to link him up with your own."

"Hmm, I guess I could give it a try."Felix obliged.

Climbing off his shoulders Mark changed into shield form, landing soundly in Lance's hand. Taking a deep breath, Felix extended his hands, fully expecting the sting of soul rejection. Lance gently held the shield above Felix's hands, slowly lowering Mark into his palms.

Holding in his breath, he accepted, feeling not the old familiar sting of two souls out of sync, but instead the cool touch of steel against his flesh."Okay, awesome."Felix cheered silently in glee. Seeping his hand into the handle, he practiced moving it around. His movement with the shield was expectedly clunky and amateurish. But nonetheless he was wielding another weapon.

Wielding an imaginary Trish, he imagined how he would wield both, blocking strikes and unleashing blows in a deadly rhythm of swings and lunges."Oh yeah. We are going to have soo much fun."Felix grinned.

Shining blue, Mark returned to his human form once more, looking pleased with himself, walking with a slight swagger."We could probably throw the little guy back and forth, if we got into a tough spot."Lance half joked, taking a second to consider the feasibility of the act. He had been known to throw the young shield whenever he felt it necessary, though applying it in an operation like this could prove to be quite problematic. They'd definitely have to practice it before they attempted anything.

"Quiet back there."Josilyn ordered, frightening the three boys into silence once more.

With quiet determination, the group carried on their way to the abandoned town that was DeathWood, none feeling completely ready yet all prepared to give it their all. For better or worse, they were a team now, if they were a good team however, remained to be seen.

* * *

"As you can see, the organs come into full view as we make the final incision."Stein droned on, twirling the scalpel in his hand. But Kid's attention was elsewhere, he had barely touched the scalpel and frog on his desk the entire class. He was too fixated on the ticking clock, urging it to tick faster so he could see what was happening to his oldest friend.

Stein had started the class after lunch with a lecture describing the malleability of the human soul and its unpredictable nature, this had all been interesting enough to keep the reaper's worries at bay, but to the class's chagrin Stein soon presented yet another dissection for the young weapons and misters.

The cryptic observation the professor had made regarding Lance's soul hadn't left the golden eyed boy's thought yet either. What could it be? Was it somehow powerful enough to the extent to peak Stein's curiosity? Or was unique it in some other regard?

Kid stopped for second. Unable to stop himself from thinking the most dreaded of thoughts. What – what if he saw madness in Lance's soul? What if Lance truly did take after his father?

_No, stop that right now_. Kid mentally hissed at himself, ashamed for doubting his friend, if even for a moment. _That's_ _just… that's just highly unlikely._

He noted that he didn't say impossible…

Ugh. He needed to get out of this class room already. If he didn't leave soon he was going to go insane. He impatiently tapped his fingers on his desk, watching the minutes go by until they had to pick up their dissection equipment."See you tomorrow."Stein waved as he spun in his chair.

Kid quickly gathered his belongings and headed to the door, not even bothering to wait for his weapons to follow.

"Hey Kid wait up!"Maka said, running up to him with Crona right behind her."You're going to the Deathroom to check on Lance, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am."Kid nodded, not surprised that the scythe meister had guessed his plans.

"Then hold on a sec. I'm coming too."She said."I just have to drop a few things off first."

"There's no time for that."Kid growled, impatiently.

"Fine, you can go on ahead of us, we'll catch up."Maka agreed with a minor twitch of her eyebrow."Come on Crona."

The blonde turned to go on her way, but noticed her pink haired companion wasn't following."You coming Crona?"Maka asked, confused.

"Oh? Uh I just thought I could just go on ahead with Kid."Crona explained nervously, afraid she had offended her only true friend.

"Okay…."Maka said, still puzzled."I'll just go put away my stuff then."She finished, turning away to run to her locker.

Kid was already halfway to the DeathRoom when he noticed he had an extra follower tailing him. He had slipped out of the classroom immediately when Maka started talking to Crona so he hadn't seen their conversation."Can I help you with something Crona?"Kid politely asked, despite his impatience, when he saw who it was.

Crona took a second to form her sentence."I-I want to go with you to check on Lance."She stated firmly."I want to make sure he's all right."

Kid was taken aback for a moment, but nodded all the same. Together they made their approach to the DeathRoom at a steady pace. Kid thought it might be rude if he broke into a sprint with Crona there so he settled for walking. He hadn't really spoken to Crona much since Lance arrived so he approached conversation with care.

"So… Crona, how do you and Lance know each other?"Kid asked casually, genuinely curious, Lance didn't have a good track with making friends, so acquiring one so quickly was very impressive to the young reaper.

"Well, Maka said I should try to make some new friends."Crona began, staring at her feet."And she thought Lance seemed nice."

Kid could understand how Maka might've thought that, but then again she didn't know Lance like he did. If Kid wasn't afraid of confronting Lance about his father he probably would've given the same speech to him.

"And how has that been working out?"Kid inquired, trying to make the pinkette feel a bit more comfortable.

"Honestly? He doesn't talk much."She stated bluntly, to the reaper's dismay."But."She added."Whenever he does say something it's usually pretty funny."She smiled.

Kid smiled too, thinking of Lance's odd and often snarky sense of humor."Yeah he certainly can be when he wants to be."Kid agreed.

"And it's not just that."Crona said quietly, catching Kid's attention."It's just well he's very nice to me. He never judges me or takes pity on me like some of the others do. But that's probably just because he doesn't know about my mother"

Kid noted that her smile had disappeared, and that her eyes were inspecting her feet again. It was true that many students at the DWMA didn't exactly like Crona outside of their group. They just focused on her parent and her betrayal. Not the pain and torment she experienced or the strength it took for her to overcome it. Kid felt anger swell up inside of him at thought of it all.

"Listen Crona."Kid said, stopping her and placing a tentative hand on her solder."You shouldn't say such things. You're one of the kindest, sweetest, bravest people I know and anybody who can't see that doesn't deserve your company in the first place and I'm sure Lance thinks the same."

The swords woman didn't know how to respond to such praise from the young meister. Blushing fiercely, she tried to look anywhere but at Kid's eyes."T-thank you Kid."She stuttered softly, her voice almost cracking.

Kid too was blushing now. Crona really deserves to be treated like this more often. He thought. Someone as nice as her deserves more than this. Gently grabbing her hand, he steered her back on their path to the DeathRoom."Come on."He said with a light smile."Let's go see what kind of trouble Lance got himself into this time."

They quickly made their way up the guillotine pathway to where lord Death resided. The cloudy room was empty save for the reaper himself, showing no signs of the other students they had come to see.

His father was in front of his mirror, too absorbed in its contents to notice there approach, releasing Crona's hand Kid went to address his father."Greetings Father, I came to ask about Lance."

"Oh, Hiya kid! When did you get here? And you brought Crona?"The reaper asked with a cock of his head."Ah, doesn't matter. At any rate take a seat! Make yourselves comfortable."

"Father, that's not why we're here-"Kid started, ignoring his father's hospitality, but was quickly cut off by the all knowing grim reaper.

"Oh I know exactly why you're here."The reaper stated."You're here because you're both worried about Lance and were wondering why I had him and the others brought here."He surmised."I sent them all on a very dangerous mission. I knew you might protest to Lance's involvement in such an operation so naturally I didn't tell you."

Kid was stuck open mouthed at the information laid before him. He had to admit it made sense. And under the same circumstances he would have done the same in his father's position. Most people tended to forget how wise the reaper really was underneath that cartoony mask of his.

"What's so dangerous about this mission?"Kid questioned sternly, determined to help his friend.

"I can't tell you that unless you promise not to interfere."The reaper reprimanded, equally determined to let the others accomplish it by themselves.

"I can't promise anything if I don't know all the facts."Kid retorted, behaving unnaturally aggressive towards his father. Crona could only stand meekly as the two reapers tried to stare each other down, neither willing to give in.

After what seemed like minutes, Lord Death finally decided to compromise."If you won't promise to not take action maybe I can dissuade you out of it."The death god theorized."Lance and the others were sent to defeat a necromancer."

Crona squeaked at the mention of the witch's renowned for their mastery of the dead."A necromancer?"Kid tensed."Like the witch I encountered in Egypt."

"Indeed."Death nodded."But don't worry! I'm sure our little party will prove more than a match for anything they may encounter."The reaper assured, trying to sound jovial once again.

"But…"Kid stammered, trying to think of a reasonable argument to why he should be there with them but finding none when suddenly he felt a comforting hand on his arm.

"Kid, relax."Crona advised gently."Lance can handle himself and I'm sure he wouldn't like you worrying over him like this."

She was right of course. From everything he had seen and heard Lance was not to be underestimated. And he certainly wouldn't want Kid, or anyone for that matter, having this much concern for a mission like this.

"And besides."She pressed on."We'll be right here watching with Lord Death. If anything goes wrong we'll be the first to know."

Kid had to hand it to her. She could be pretty darned persuasive when she wanted to be. And everything she said made so much sense he had no choice but to comply.

"Okay ."Kid agreed.

"Oh good!"The reaper chuckled."I was afraid I was going to have to reaper chop you for a minute there."

Kid simply took his seat and prepared himself for whatever he might see. Above all he knew he had to have confidence in his friend. The same type of confidence he knew others would have for him. Lance deserved that much, if not more. And he had Crona there too to confide in and Maka was on her way too, no doubt dragging Soul along with his own weapons.

All he needed was patience.

* * *

They finally came upon the empty town. The only thing stopping the town from looking straight out of a spaghetti western was the lack of tumbleweeds. Buildings lined both sides of the dirt road; a saloon, a sheriff's office, and an old general goods store to name a few. All abandoned by the hands of time.

The group entered cautiously, Josilyn in the lead, Reiji in his M16 form held firmly in her hands. They had yet to encounter anything since their arrival and so far the abandoned town was proving its status quite well.

Felix followed Josilyn with nervous anticipation, gripping Trish's shaft tightly as he kept the trident level, ready to strike at any given moment. The only weapon not completely in her weapon form was Veronica who, on instruction from Lance, had turned her arm into a sword and securely strapped Mark to her other arm.

Said meister wasn't with the main bulk of the team. Instead he had decided to get a better look of the soon to be battlefield. Climbing silently, he made his way up to the roof of one of the buildings and trailed his companions from above, keeping a watchful eye as they proceeded onward.

Lance took a deep breath. He knew it was important to stay calm and to not lose his cool. He'd had have to stay focused if he was to use nothing but his soul wavelength and whatever he had in his pockets against a possible horde of kishen and a necromancer. Invisible as he was Lance couldn't help but feel vulnerable when he thought of the destructive possibilities of a witch. The most difficult task of any meister and weapon was to best one in combat and collect her soul. Many failed to achieve that goal in the most tragic way possible.

With that thought he peeked down at the redheaded girl, her arm a blade from the elbow down with her brother in the other. He wouldn't let that happen to them. Whatever happened to him he wouldn't mind but they were worth protecting at all costs.

The high risk brought a small smirk to the young swordsman's lips. This whole thing was so crazy it was almost funny. He could imagine Lord Death standing ever alert at his fancy mirror of his as he watched and assessed their progress. Probably expecting the worst if Lance was involved, but that was okay. Lance didn't mind.

_I'll just have to put on a good show_. Were Lance's only thoughts on the subject.

A sudden vibration shocked him back to reality and out of his contemplation. Checking his phone he saw he had received a text message from Veronica._ Get down here ASAP, Josilyn's orders_. The text read.

Not wanting to keep the others waiting he made his descent swiftly to the ground. The others were holed up in the prison. Fitting, Lance noted, that they'd make their plans in the same place that the law makers of the past made theirs.

"Lance you're here, good."Josilyn said, not really caring, obviously."I have detected strange signs coming from the church down the road with my soul perception."

"I can't be sure but I think I'm seeing a witch's soul, and a powerful one from the looks of it."Josilyn hypothesized."There seem to be other souls moving to but they're not distinct enough for me to make out clearly."

"So we're heading out?"Felix asked, coolly.

"It seems the time has come to test our grit."Josilyn stated ominously. _Huh so she can display emotion_."Yes. We're going in."

"Do we have a plan, or are we just running in there guns a blazing?"Veronica asked, snapping her neck."Personally, I vote for the latter."

"The plan is to do whatever I tell you to do, when I tell you."Josilyn answered with no hint of amusement.

"Ah, teamwork."Lance remarked before he could stop himself. Receiving the iciest of glares he had ever seen."Uh I mean, ah leadership. What would we do without it?"

The glare didn't lesson in the slightest."Since you've proven your prowess in the arts of stealth I think it would be best if we send in Lance to gather some surveillance on our target."She advised."Unless of course he has any comments he'd like to share first"

Lance just shrugged, not feeling anything too terrible at the task. But apparently others felt differently.

"That's mental."Veronica blurted out."You can't just send him in there by himself. What if he gets caught?"

Lance raised a silent eyebrow at this. He had put himself in harm's way dozens of times before. How was this any different?

"If he does his job right we won't have to worry about that."Josilyn responded dismissively.

Felix and Trish exchanged a small look but other than that they stayed quiet on the issue between the two girls and the meister.

"No, I won't allow this."Veronica stated sternly."If it's so important why don't you do it?" She challenged the self appointed leader.

"It's really not that big of a deal Ronnie…"Lance said, surprised at her refusal to let him go."Whatever it takes for the mission to succeed right?"

"Come on sis. Lance can handle anything."Mark reasoned, appearing transparent on the base of his shield form.

She looked like she wanted to argue further, but realized the odds weren't in her favor."Fine."She growled."You better comeback here in one piece or you'll have me to deal with."

"I'll keep that in mind."Lance smirked. Noting true fear mixed with her anger at his decision to go. Fear? Now that was definitely unusual for the tough redhead."Besides what's a legion of undead monsters gonna be able to do that I can't handle?"

"Pssh. Well there's certainly no brain for them to eat."She quipped, smiling despite her anger."Just- just be safe okay?"She said more gently into his ear.

"Okay, I will."Lance agreed, touched by the sentiment, if she wanted him to be careful he supposed he could manage.

"Now that that's out of the way."Reiji interrupted."Let's get this show on the road already."

"Send us a text if you discover anything important or if you are discovered."Josilyn explained."We'll be here ready to attack at any time. Other than that stay hidden and good luck."

Lance nodded, making his way to the door. He took one last look around, noting the worry in both Felix's and Veronica's face and the cool confidence in Josilyn's. It wouldn't look very good on his part to let them down, he concluded, pushing any doubt from his mind he exited the prison.

The church certainly was intimidating, even from a distance. But it was nothing he hadn't seen on TV so he wasn't overly worried. The giant cross made a large shadow that crept into the town's road, giving Lance some shade from the laughing sun as he approached it. The closer he got the more audible the sounds were. Mostly just thumps that Lance couldn't make out but occasionally there was some voices too, though he couldn't quite make them out.

Taking one last deep breath, he entered the cathedral, slipping silently into the large doors.


	17. The Mission Commences Pt2

Truth be told, Lance really didn't have that much experience in the art of stealth. The thing on the roofs had really just been on a whim. He had on occasion snuck up on a kishen for a surprise attack, but this was different. He had severely underestimated the task Josilyn had assigned him.

One step inside and the fact quickly dawned on him. Ducking behind an aisle, he silently cursed his lot in life and all events that led him there. Less than thirty feet from him was a witch, and a freaken necromancer witch to boot. Standing on the alter as casually as any priest, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Bring in the next one. Garik."The witch ordered to some unknown lackey, her hands placed confidently on her hips. She certainly was a looker, Lance noted from behind the pew, Pale skin, long inky black hair and a slender physique too. All that added with her cute witch outfit made Lance suddenly feel less than thrilled with his duty to slay her. He had imagined some wrinkly old bat, not someone who looked like she belonged in his class.

Oh well, if he was lucky it wouldn't be his hand that slew her. Sliding off his long jacket, knowing that it would drag on the floor from his crouching, he set into motion. Creeping from pew to pew, he scanned the church, familiarizing himself with the layout.

Leaving his jacket was a tough decision, and not just one of fashion. He was leaving behind many tools that could be of use to him, but he knew the risk outweighed the gain. The guy the witch had addressed as Garik now was leading a troop of two other men carrying a coffin, no, not two other men, two kishen.

Lance gulped. Garik himself looked like enough of a challenge. Tall and lanky in a dark gray uniform with a gun and an old fashioned military sword on his belt. The eyepatch covering his left eye seemed to mesh together with his own dark hair, his other eye a cold blue. But it was the two kishen behind him that alarmed Lance the most. They didn't look like any kishen he had seen before, more like zombies from a Romero film, still adorned in their funeral clothes as they carried the coffin on their shoulders.

"As you wish, Lady Morena."Garik announced his voice filled with absolute admiration and loyalty to his charge. His only concern in the world for her and her alone. He'd happily die for her if the need aroused. And more than happily kill anyone who threatened her. Not for a love of violence, but for a commitment to forever protect she who had saved him from the clutches of death.

Lance now bore witness to the true power of a necromancer. His muscles went limp as he heard Morena chant her song, and saw the body slowly start to move its limbs and body as it returned to life. He had to reconsider his earlier reluctance to kill her now that he saw this. This wasn't meant to be, the dead weren't supposed to be defiled like this, twisted from their earlier selves to become viscous servants to some woman with too much power for her own good.

But Lance couldn't afford to be distracted, especially with Garik's pistol just inches away from his finger tips. Breaking into a silent crawl he slid into the courtyard while everyone was ditracted by the witch's spell.

Lance stifled a yelp as he peeked at the small fenced in graveyard that resided behind the church. More than two dozen reanimated corpses worked on digging up more coffins for zombiefication, shoveling tirelessly as they added more to the pile, already stacked fairly tall for so small a graveyard.

Two sentries stood on guard of either side of the graveyard, both strikingly different from the working kishen. One, another walking corpse though clearly not from this town, clad in similar décor as Garik, the figure stood stoically with two katanas strapped to his back, his face covered in bandages. The other was much more attention grabbing though. A large creation of stone and wood loomed over the diligent workers. Standing an imposing seven feet tall with large bulky arms and huge fist obviously designed with combat in mind.

Lance figured he had seen enough at this point to return to his frien- err, teammates with the information he had gathered.

Slipping his head back inside, he prepared to sneak back out of the church just as he heard the footsteps of an approaching stranger, probably Garik, coming his way. Seeing no better escape Lance slid behind the large door that led outside, trying with all his might to become flat. With his limbs spread wide, his feet pointed in two different directions, he sucked his breath, not willing to risk taking in oxygen until the threat had passed.

And just like that it did.

The steps became distant echoes. And Lance heaved a sigh of relief, truly amazed that his pathetic trick had worked but not willing to tempt fate by repeating it. Coming back into the main hall, Lance presumed his crawl under the pews, dragging himself to the door with determination.

He was half way there when something stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Oh now what do we have here?"The witch asked excitedly."This is most curious indeed."She exclaimed. Lance froze, convinced that she had spotted him and was about to unleash a spell of some sort that would cause more pain than he could ever imagine."Bring it up here now."She commanded.

But he wasn't what fascinated her so. With a loud thud the coffin was placed before her. A long sleek black coffin wrapped in chains and if that wasn't enough. It practically oozed dark energy. This was a soul that had been powerful in life as it would be in death, a most valuable servant indeed."Fetch Shuujuku to deal with these chains."

With the attention off him Lance heaved another sigh."That was almost scary."He said out loud to no one in particular.

"What was that?"Garik proclaimed, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

_Crap_. Lance mentally hissed at himself. How could he be so stupid as to say that out loud? He had been doing such a good job up until that point too.

"It was probably nothing."Morena dismissed, too enthralled by the power coming off from the coffin too listen to her servant's warnings."

"But my Lady it could potentially be something dangerous."Garik reasoned."I must check at once."

The young witch sighed and held the brim of her nose."Oh Very well. Just send a kishen to get Shuujuku while you're at it."She agreed.

"Yes Ma'am."Garik saluted, turning to inspect the aisles.

"And stop calling me that!"Morena whined, crossing her arms and pouting."Makes me feel old."

"As you command my Lady."Garik corrected, more focused on his search. He knew he had heard something. Removing his sword from his belt he moved from aisle to aisle, intent on discovering the source of the noise. Lance had already distanced himself from his previous spot quite a bit but he knew it wouldn't be long before he was caught. His only hope lay in his coat.

The endless assortment of tricks and gadgets surely had something that could save him from this perilous situation he had gotten himself into. Carefully placing his hand into a pocket he pulled the first thing he could get his hand on. A fling shot. _Uh what else I got_? A pellet._ Okay that could be useful I suppose_. A smoke bomb. _Bingo_.

Taking aim, he readied himself. He knew he'd only have two shots and he had to make them both count. His first target, an antique pot by the alter. It shattered nicely, quickly occupying the attention of the witch and her guard. The smoke bomb exploded easily between the two as Lance made his escape. Running with great speed, knowing that the smoke would soon clear and his pursuers wouldn't be far behind.

Pulling his coat back on, he sprinted to the old prison, bursting through the shanty door."We've got company."Lance warned."A lot of company."

"What kind of company?"Josilyn demanded, lifting Reiji into the air.

"Oh just a couple dozen kishen zombies, a ninja, a Cyclops and a robot."Lance told quickly."Not to mention the necromancer herself."

As if that was all the information she needed to hear, she set out."All right men, fan out around the church's entrance. We'll funnel them out and drop the weaker ones."She commanded, explaining her strategy."Felix, Veronica, and Lance stay in the front. I'll cover from behind."

_Good plan_. Lance mentally complemented. At least she was a leader who could think, even if she had placed herself into the position.

Veronica stood closest to the door, Mark raised firmly to her chest with her blade at her side. Felix wasn't far behind with Trish ready to lunge at any moment. Lance stood slightly farther back, his palms alit with sparks as he waited for the eventual foes to appear. True to her word Josilyn stood vigilant with Reiji's stock seated on her shoulder, steady and ready to shoot at any given notice.

And as quickly as they had prepared the enemies charged. The large church doors swinging wide as they ran, claws raised to attack. The first point was given to Felix as Trish's points connected with flesh from an expert thrust, just as quickly he pulled it out and wacked another with the shaft of the weapon. Seeing this, Veronica doubled her efforts, slicing at the ankles of her foes while bashing away any that might lay a hand on her with Mark.

The first wave was down before Lance could even land a blow and five fresh kishen eggs floated serenely adrift in the desert air, a testament to their skill and prowess. They'd definitely have to divide those evenly later on, because for now another horde was approaching, this one even greater size than the last.

"Scatter!"Lance shrieked as the terrain became littered with nine of the blasted things. The group quickly spread out in an attempt to avoid getting surrounded. One turned to shreds as Josilyn unloaded Reiji, not leaving a trace that it had ever existed. The others proved more fearsome than their kin however.

In a mere blink of the eye Lance found himself cornered by two of the monsters, his back to the wall of the saloon."You know, I'm really regretting that whole not having a weapon thing."Lance muttered under his breath. Dunking under a blow to the face, Lance kicked the other in the shin, bringing him down then up with a quick uppercut. He was down for the moment but there was still his buddy to deal with. Just as Lance turned to acquaint him with his fist he was lifted into the air.

Lance briefly registered the horrible moustache planted on the corpse's face as the man choked him. Gasping for air, Lance kicked and bucked but couldn't break the grip. His vision blurred as he finally thought of using his soul wavelength, pounding both of his hands into the man's gut, knocking moustache man back several yards.

"Yeah, go-go die or something."Lance taunted as he dizzily tried to find his footing. Tripping over the zombie he had already knocked over._ Need to be more careful_. He scolded himself, gazing at the sky._ For the team, for Mark, for_ _Veronica…_

Speaking of which, the sword was currently caught in her own little skirmish. A particularly large brute of a kishen was swatting away her stabs with the backside of his hatchet. Lance wasn't afraid to admit that the redhead wasn't the best with her blade arm. And at the rate that this fight was going it wouldn't be too long before she was overpowered by the brute. Pushing himself off from the ground, and taking an appropriate amount of time to shake the dust from his jacket, he dug in his pocket for something to assist her.

He soon had in his hand exactly what he was looking for. He didn't have much experience with it. Veronica had even called him silly when he bought it. But this was the moment. Aiming the projectile with a slight tilt, he analyzed his shot. Registering Veronica and her distance from his target and her movement, he really wouldn't hear the end of it if he hit her instead.

Feeling confident with his aim he stretched, pulled in, and thrust his arm forward.

And let the boomerang fly.

Whizzing with deadly speed, it hit its mark. The kishen didn't even get a chance to land another hit before he was face first into the ground. Giddy at his success despite the setting, Lance almost skipped to Veronica, but settled for a brisk trot instead. Seeing the sword eyeing the boomerang Lance couldn't help but smirk.

"Why are you buying a boomerang you twit?"She said."Lance mimicked, using her exact words, even using the accent."When are you ever going to use it? It's just not practical" She said."

"Oh please."She snorted, stabbing the fallen kishen with her blade."You could have easily just used one of those fancy throwing knives you love so much."

"Well I guess that's true."Lance admitted, grabbing the hatchet off the ground, giving it a few practice swings."But come on, you can't say that wasn't awesome."

"Hey guys."Felix interrupted, fending off three all by himself, wielding Trish with the utmost efficiency and skill."That was cool and all. But could you maybe, you know help?"

"I'd say that's fair."Lance quipped as they set into motion. Lance briefly noted the sight of Josilyn dealing with two of her own nuisances, killing one with Reiji's bayonet. He would have been confused since Reiji didn't have one of those a short five minutes ago. But in his hurry he decided to just go with it. Lance wasted no time in bringing his axe to the lower leg of the first kishen he came into contact with, flipping the nasty thing down to the ground. It only took a flick of the wrist to finish it after that.

With less foes to occupy him, Felix quickly pierced through the defense of the center freak and gave Trish a nice supper. But in doing so the last one managed to grab Trish from behind and start to choke him with her shaft. He was seeing spots when Veronica eventually slipped a blade through his ribs. "Thanks." He uttered as all the pressure came off him.

"Don't mention it."Veronica replied, offering him a now human hand to help her up."You know you're quite good with that prissy little thing you call her a weapon."She complimented. Watching as Lance engaged the two kishen he had already knocked down but failed to kill.

"I can hear you, you know?"Trish seethed, also enjoying the show.

"Aye, I'm just teasing you."She coddled, tapping the trident gently at the tip."We're comrades now."

"Right, comrades."Mark added."That means we can trust and depend on each other."

"Sure does."Veronica agreed. More than a little in awe as Lance grappled with a kishen with a horrendous moustache. None of them, even the other kishen, thought of intervening. The kishen was a surprisingly fine fighter in his own right. But it was Lance with his odd usage of the reaper fighting style mixed with other martial arts that held the attention. Blocking and redirecting everything his enemy threw, landing kicks and punches. He probably could have killed him with his hands alone. When his opponent was staggered to the point of no return he made his finishing blow. With one quick movement, he plucked a dagger from his jacket, threw it into the man's chest and finally kicked it in when the throw alone wasn't enough. The kishen that had been watching was quickly ended as well by a burst of bullets from Reiji.

The new nine souls, combined with the previous five filling the open space certainly created an atmosphere of triumph for the seven students. Like trophies the souls hung suspended in the air.

Justly earned trophies.

"Come out witch!"Josilyn demanded once everyone had gathered their wits."Make it easy on yourself! Come out now and the death will be quick!"

Lance couldn't tell if she was trying to be threatening or if she really thought the necromancer would comply. Either way it was go time now. Compared to a witch all the kishen they had fought today didn't seem very impressive."Veronica, Mark."He said quietly, indicating that now would be the time for him to wield them instead. The familiar warmth of their souls connecting with his helped his nerves as they anxiously awaited the witch's next action.

"You're all going to die."

The voice seemed to come from no single direction, like it was surrounding them like an all consuming force that could destroy them all on her whim.

But Lance of course knew that was just a ploy to undermine their confidence.

"You made a grave mistake when you came here today."She continued."The last mistake you'll ever make."

_Oh come at least try to be original_. Lance thought._ I am so not feeling as threatened as I could_. He had to remind himself that not everyone was as crazy as him and analyzed every little thing they said, but that trait had proved to be one of his greatest assets and he wasn't about to abandon it now.

"This is your last opportunity."Josilyn stated just as ominously."I would advise you to accept the offer."

Raising his shield in anticipation for the inevitable retaliation, Lance waited. He had witnessed with his own eyes the accursed power the witch possessed. He knew there were yet more kishen to deal with, not to mention the necromancer's own private guard. This would test more than just their ability to work as a team. This would test their ability to survive against impossible odds.

And failure meant death.

Even knowing this, Lance didn't flinch when the church doors were blown open. His allies might have been alarmed to see the mechanical contraption of wood and stone, or the deadly samurai zombie with katana's drawn, or the witch herself in her crow themed apparel, hands radiating a deathly purple glow. Even with all that, perhaps the most surprising thing to the other weapons and meisters was the presence of a boy their own age, taking up arms against them to defend the witch.

With pistol and sword at the ready, Garik stood ready to kill all of them if he had too. There would be no pleasure other than the knowledge that his lady would still live. Alternating with his remaining eye he looked from her to the intruders. She had done nothing wrong. She had harmed no one but the dead.

Yet here they were, ready to play judge, jury, and executioner like they had the right to decide who lived and who died. With unparalleled fury, he stood guard behind her. As long as he could still stand he would never leave her side.

Morena's pale gray eyes were hardly visibly beneath her brimmed witch hat as she addressed those that sought to kill her for the very act of living."I've considered your proposal."She spoke venomously."I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

And with that, all hell broke loose.

* * *

Kid didn't know how much more he could watch.

Lance and the others undeniably had proven their prowess in the field of battle. But still he yearned to be by his friend's side, Kid wanted to share in the moment almost as much as he wanted to protect him. But that was simply selfishness he knew. And thus he was able to refrain himself and obey his father.

They had all gathered around the mirror, Maka, Crona, Soul, Liz, Patty, Tsubaki his father and himself. Maka had also invited Black*Star but the ninja had refused, saying he had some training to do instead. Kid briefly wondered how Lance might feel knowing that all these people were watching him without his consent. The reaction probably wouldn't be a pleasant one, Kid concluded.

"You know he's actually pretty good."Liz commented from his side."I knew he was tough from his fight with Black*Star but this, this is impressive."

Everyone had to agree, they all were impressive. But the way Lance had handled his last kishen with nothing but his bare hands and a knife had captured their attention. So far the group had done everything right for the most part. And with Josilyn leading them it seemed almost certain that they would succeed. Yes, it seemed all Kid's worries were for naught. Just like father had said.

Kid watched with a hopeful smile as Lance took hold of Veronica and Mark in preparation of the confrontation with the necromancer, a smile that Crona and Maka shared. He supposed he could tolerate not being there if they were there to help him. He truly was lucky to have friends like these.

"They certainly are."Lord Death agreed."But the witch has been the end of many a weapon and meister."

"Don't be depressing or anything."Soul snickered, receiving an elbow to the ribs from Maka."Owe. What was that for?"Soul hissed.

"Just shut up."Maka sighed.

"Do you think they have a chance then, Lord Death?"Tsubaki asked sincerely, not wanting to see the new students die before her eyes.

"Anything's possible."The reaper assured her."There might even be a new death scythe born this day, you can never know."

"At any rate, we'll be right here to see if anything does go wrong."He explained, indicating the mirror."But I doubt our assistance shall be needed.

With that said, they returned their attention to the mirror.

They spectators heard the witch before they saw her. The mirror didn't allow them to hear which direction the voice was coming from but Kid somehow doubted that he'd have know even if he was there. Witches were notorious for their tricks and deceptions after all. Felix was clearly disturbed by the words the necromancer had spoken, understandable considering that it was a promise that all their lives would end shortly. He was proud to see that Lance's and Josilyn's wills remained unbroken however.

That was more than he could say about the viewers though. As soon as the witch was heard Liz had promptly hid behind Patti and shrieked as if she might attack through the mirror. And Crona was now clinging to Maka's arm and shaking, more for fear for Lance than fear of the witch."Neat trick" Soul commented with a frown.

It wasn't long after that that the doors flew open, revealing the foes still left for the team to deal with. Kid's earlier confidence ebbed significantly when it became quite clear that they were horribly outnumbered. Even if you counted the weapons the fiends still had over twice their numbers.

Both sides stood, waiting for the other to make the first movement. Every weapon in the room was at the ready. Swords drawn, guns aimed, none of them wavering in the steadfast grip of their carriers.

"Ooh, suspenseful."Lord Death declared."What? It is."The reaper asked as suddenly everyone in the room glared at him.

Somewhere, somehow, Lance had an odd feeling that someone or something had seriously just ruined the mood…

"Oh look its starting!"The death god announced, directing everyone's focus back to the mirror.

As quickly as they had turned away the fight had commenced. The one eyed boy immediately set to work with firing his pistol at Lance, the meister could do nothing else but keep his shield held high as he ran in circles in a desperate attempt to dodge the bullets. Josilyn wasted no time unleashing her full power on the mysterious automaton. Concussive rounds barely managed to push the thing back as the other kishen closed in.

Felix, for his part, didn't even hesitate as he charged the kishen head on. Swinging and stabbing at any that came near. He seemed to take down another opponent with each thrust and souls soon filled the open church. Even with his grand start he could tell he would soon be overrun by the sheer number of his foes.

"This doesn't look good."Kid assessed, his knuckles whitening as his grip tightened.

"There's just so many of them."Maka added worriedly, sharing the young reaper's anxieties.

"Not just that."Soul said."That big rock thing, that's a golem."

"A golem?"Tsubaki repeated questioningly."How can you be sure?"

"It may be smaller than the one we saw when we fought Giriko."Soul explained."But I'd recognize that handy work anywhere."

"But what does that mean?"Liz asked.

"What it means."Kid deduced."Is that this is no ordinary witch."

"Look right there."Kid said, pointing at the boy with eyepatch who was still shooting at Lance."Do you see the red band on the right arm of the uniform? What does it look like to you?"

"It- it's a spider."Crona declared, clinging tighter to Maka's arm.

"Correct. And that could only mean one thing."The golden eyed reaper replied.

"Arachnophobia."

He let the word hang in the air for a moment. The enemy they had thought they defeated was back and with new members no less. The issue of the student's mission suddenly became much more important to the DWMA.

"Father."Kid began."I'm assuming you wouldn't refuse me if I said I wished to go to Lance's aid now."

"No, I don't think I would."Lord Death agreed, knowing now the danger he had sent the young students into.

"Thank you Father."Kid bowed, turning to leave, his weapons following his steps.

"And Crona will go as well."Lord Death stated.

"What?"Both Kid and Crona proclaimed in unison.

"I'm not letting you go there by yourself."Lord Death explained sternly."And since Crona is the only one who can keep up with you on Beezlebub, she's going with you."

Kid knew it was pointless to argue. And it was true that Crona still had the wings she had acquired from the events on the Nidhogg, though she hadn't used them since she had enrolled into the academy. Kid knew from experience how fast she could move with the wings and didn't doubt that she could go just as fast if not faster than beezlebub."Very well."Kid caved."If she agrees to, of course"

The decision wasn't hard for her to make and she quickly agreed."Anything for a friend."She stated, joining Kid.

"Then you'd best be on your way."Lord Death advised cheerily."Ta ta, do try to be back for supper now, oh and be careful and all that."

"Liz, Patti."Kid said, the weapons knowing to shift into pistol form into his waiting hands. Together he and the pinkette made their way out of the DeathRoom. They ran through the halls to exit the school, Kid in the lead with Crona not far behind. The courtyard outside was abandoned, all the students had returned home at this late in the day and the faculty was no doubt busy inside.

With nothing to delay him, Kid quickly summoned Beezlebub. Crona likewise sprouted her thin black wings. They appeared smaller then when he had seen them aboard the ghost ship, as if they had lost some of their strength when Maka had cleansed her soul on the night of the school dance.

"Can you fly with those?"Kid asked, wondering if he'd have to go alone after all.

"I'll manage."Crona assured him nervously. In truth she didn't know if she could, but she was willing to try. That would just have to be enough.

Flapping slowly, she made her ascent. Kid carefully brought himself higher with her, still unsure if she could do it or not. At five feet into the air, she started gathering more speed and all doubts kid had were forgotten, she was as graceful a creature in the sky as Kid had ever seen.

"Ready when you are."She said, unsure of what to do with her feet as they hung uselessly in the sky.

"Okay."Kid replied, perfectly balanced on his flying skateboard, his weapons in his hands.

Lance was miles away, surrounded by those who wished to harm him, and at any moment they could succeed in their endeavors. With every second that passed the likelihood of his demise grew a percentage. Kid had never experienced loss in his life, he didn't want to experience now. He'd just have to have faith that Lance and the others could last until they arrived. With grim determination he nodded to Crona.

And off they went.


	18. The Mission Commences Pt3

**Whew! Those last few chapters were hard. I'm not entirely sure how I do as an action writer. I'm much more suited for the emotional mushy gushy stuff. But anyways, tell me what ya think. Did I succeed? Did I fail miserably as I suspect? Or was I simply mediocre?**

**Give me your feedback in a review and I'll be sure to take notes.**

**Now back to the story.**

* * *

Lance was quickly learning to hate guns.

How many bullets can that fricken thing hold? He'd had to have fired more than a dozen by now. The problem was he wasn't wasting any bullets. All his shots were carefully placed and barely avoided. Lance had always been fast on his feet, but he feared his luck would run out soon. The gun must have been enchanted, that was the only explanation. But how? Necromancers couldn't enchant items. That wasn't their thing.

They preferred dead things.

Which rouse a number of questions as to why Patches, as Lance had started calling him in his head, was even here. If he was a body guard then he certainly was adept at his duty. But still, Lance had not heard or read about anything like this from what he could tell was a human with a wholly untainted soul.

But even enchantments had their limits it seemed, for as Lance deflected yet another shot with Mark, he heard the desired clicking that signaled an end to eyepatch boy's ammo clip.

Not one to ignore an opportunity when it presented itself, Lance leaped high to bridge the accumulated distance, bringing Veronica down hard to finally put a stop to this game they had been playing.

The effects could have been better however. Instead of the satisfying sound of metal striking flesh, the only noise heard was the clang of metal striking metal. In the brief time gap between the first click and Lance's flight, eyepatch boy had drawn his own sword and blocked Lance's heavy strike. His blade sank an inch, but no more.

_So the sword's more than just for show? That's comforting._ Lance quickly mused, blocking a strike of his own with Mark. He could only assume the sword was enchanted as well because he heard the shield give an audible grunt upon getting hit, the blade glowing green on impact. It didn't sound like anything too severe but Lance didn't dare risk it.

Sending his one eyed foe back with a swift kick to the abdomen, Lance growled. He didn't have time to play with this kid. Not when Josilyn and Felix were still locked against all the others. Risking a glance he saw that Josilyn had managed to down the giant stone construct. But the machine was definitely not out of the fight yet, with her concussive rounds she must have blasted it into one of the walls and brought a section of the wall down with it. Now while it struggled to return to its feet she was free to assist Felix in crowd control against the horde of zombie kishen.

The two seemed to have everything under control, there couldn't be more than thirty of them and it seemed like every one went down in a single hit, perhaps these kishen were weaker than normal ones? It could be due to the fact that these souls had never actually eaten a living soul and were just corrupted from their natural state by the necromancer.

But Lance didn't have time to ponder these things. A sudden cry from Mark showed him that eyepatch boy was back on his feet and heading straight for him. Still, unwilling to use his weapons against patch's enchanted sword, Lance had to dunk under the oncoming blade, but not without sending a few stabs at his adversary himself. All were slapped away with the flat side of his enemy's blade.

"You know you're surprisingly good at this for being a Cyclops and what not."Lance snickered as the two met blades again. Veronica's blade seemed impervious to the pain that Mark had felt when his shield form made contact with the glowing green blade. So Mark was useless in this fight, Lance noted bitterly, and at this point holding him was more of a burden than an advantage. He'd have to find a way to get him somewhere safe or end this fight now before he got hurt again.

"So what's your story Patches?"Lance asked casually."Is crow lady over there your girl? Because if not you should totally let me know. She's got a body on her."That last comment did its work perfectly. Charging without abandon, Patches swung wildly, with easy, predictable movements that Lance was easily able to manipulate to his even greater advantage.

He was angry. That was good. Angry people made simple, stupid mistakes. They got clumsy, reckless, any consideration they might have for putting themselves into harm's way is quickly overcome by their immense wrath. While this could be a useful thing at certain times, against a smart or clever opponent, it could prove disastrous.

With his accelerated rage, it didn't take long for a weak spot to show. With one misplaced stab Lance seized his chance. Instead of turning the blade away or jumping to the side, he took it with no complaints. A look of victory came to Patches' face as his sword seemingly met its mark.

But just as quickly as the smile came, it disappeared. The blade had ripped right through Lance's coat between his arm and his chest. Quickly squeezing the weapon against his torso, Lance head butted Patches straight in the face, knocking him out instantly.

Seeing her head guardsman go down, Morena yelled in shock, tears filling her eyes as she expected this to be the last she ever saw of him alive. Regaining her composure, she ordered the few kishen not in the fray and Shuujuku to carry the black chained coffin into the graveyard with her, prepared to attempt the ritual to reawake the soul that radiated such power.

But Lance was too busy holding his sore head to notice."You know, they never tell you how much doing that hurts."He groaned, pulling the enchanted sword out from his coat and giving the now unconscious servant of the witch a small kick."Not to mention my ruined coat."

"Get over it."Veronica said, her transparent appearance gleaming in the blade of the sword."Well what are we going to do with him?"

"We're going to question him later."Lance stated firmly, throwing the enchanted sword to the other side of the church."This is bigger than just a necromancer raising a few corpses in the desert now."

He hoped that was a good enough excuse. He didn't want to kill him, truth be told. He had never killed another human being and he didn't want to start today.

The others were still fending off kishen, but they were slowly being pushed out of the church by sheer lack of numbers. Lance quickly joined them as they exited back into the town. Feeling the town would be favorable to the church that was slowly beginning to fall apart.

"Hello Lance, How nice of you to join us."Josilyn deadpanned, providing cover fire as they departed the church."Thanks for the sword by the way."

The enchanted sword he had thrown had somehow managed to end up in Josilyn's belt."Though I can't really use it with this gun," She stated, tapping Reiji on stock."How about something smaller then?"

On cue the rifle started to shift and shine, changing to a massive .45 Smith and Wesson six shooter."Much better," She complemented, pulling out the sword with her now free hand.

"Well that was awesome."Felix said after a long pause where the two male meister's could only stare at the pistol she now held tightly in her hand."Care to explain it though?"

"Reiji is a shadow arm. As in he can shift into a multitude of weapon forms for different uses."She explained as she began testing the revolver out on a few new kishen.

"Just like Tsubaki then."Lance mused."That must come in handy."

"Indeed."She agreed, as she gave the sword a practice swing at an incoming kishen, the blade glowing a dark red as it passed through its flesh.

"That's odd. It glowed green when Eyepatch boy was using it."Lance noted, slaying a few kishen of his own.

"Hmm, perhaps experimentation on a later date shall be conducted."Josilyn considered."But at the present moment we have more pressing matters to deal with."

Indeed they did. For at that moment another wave came in full force, clashing with the trio of young meisters and their weapons in the center of the ghost town.

Lance met them head on with Mark and Veronica both doing their jobs splendidly, stopping and making attacks in unison. Felix and Trish worked side by side them, quickly killing any that made it past Lance's initial defense and Josilyn's gunfire. For her part, her new pistol seemed to pack much more of a punch than the previous assault rifle, so her sword went mostly unused, which was best since she didn't have too much experience wielding one.

Though their souls weren't linked, they moved in accordance to the other's movements and strengths. Despite their personal differences and gripes they were learning to work like a real unit. If nothing more they were an efficient killing force, and at the current moment that's all they needed to be in order to survive the day. Even the approaching steps of the risen stone monster seemed like something they could handle.

But then the witch started her spell.

All color seemed to drain from the sky, leaving only a dark gray horizon. Clouds formed but no rain came. Lightening cracked and thunder blared, yet still no droplets poured from the sky. Then out from the dark looming abyss several purple tendrils shot out toward the cemetery where the witch still resided.

Distantly words could be heard being chanted. But Lance couldn't make them out. They seemed dark, archaic, and forbidden. Like words that were never meant to be spoken at all. And he knew at that moment, that he had to silence them.

Everyone who had been in the former ghost town had stopped the second the clouds came."Felix, Catch!"Lance ordered, as he threw the shield his way. Mark would only slow him down, and what he desperately needed now was speed. The transfixed kishen didn't even turn their gazes as he sped past them towards the church, kicking the door open, and barreled through to the entrance of the graveyard.

And there he saw it. The black coffin had been pried open, revealing the man within. Whatever gray patches of dead skin remained, clung tightly to the white bones keeping the figure rigid. Every article of clothing was a dark black like ink on a page. The arms were crossed across the chest, while two revolvers protruded from the belt; one silver one gold. The face was obscured by the brim of a dark cowboy hat and the remaining patches of black facial hair.

This had been a man of absolute terror. Lance just knew it, he could just feel it, that this had been a man who probably wasn't mourned all that much when his eventual demise came to pass.

The thick lines of purple energy all poured into the forming orb the witch now held. And Lance didn't have a hard time guessing its use. Not daring to hesitate, he lunged to stop her with the flat of blade, still not completely wanting to kill her.

He needn't have tried at all. As soon as his sword came within a foot's reach to the necromancer another sword appeared from the shadows. The man in the bandages he had seen earlier had stopped his momentum with all the ease of an experienced veteran in the arts of swordplay. Lance, completely unprepared for the sudden turn of events, barely managed to dunk before the other katana came sliding toward him.

The purple orb began to grow in size as Lance faced his second swordsman of the day, and somehow he doubted a simple head butt would do the trick this time.

"Who are you?"Lance asked.

The only answer that came was a small point with one of his blades to the silver nametag inscribed on his chest. Shuujuku, it read in Japanese.

Both swords stood steady in his enemy's hands as they circled each other slowly, the bandaged man offering no words of challenge or mockery, Leaving it all up to Lance it seemed. But he had neither the time nor the desire for that right now."Veronica, time to resonate," He whispered, with his lips close to his blade, determined to end this fight as quickly as possible.

The redhead merely nodded her consent, closing her eyes in preparation. They had long ago mastered the art of soul resonance between their two souls. With both hands on her handle he took a deep breath. Letting her into his soul had not been easy, not the first time or any of the times that followed. The sensation was hard to describe. The connection, made him feel vulnerable, completely at her mercy, he could assume she felt something kind of similar. Yet there was a sense of comfort in that vulnerability, like she'd catch him if he fell and protect him like he always tried to protect her.

Shivers of energy spiraled up and down her blade as he concentrated on the connection. Then it shifted and morphed, creating long arches in the blade and curving slightly. Glowing a bright neon blue, it rapidly increased in size, growing a foot in length and width.

Then, with combined voices they yelled a fierce battle cry."DEMON SLAYER!"They yelled in unison, bringing down their combined soul essences at the awaiting samurai. In this state they were neither Lance nor Veronica, but a combined being of both. Even Lance's eyes were glowing the same Technicolor blue as his blade.

For his part, Shuujuku didn't even attempt to dodge or attack them while they were preparing. Instead, he just raised swords in a daring block. His knees didn't even buckle as the blow landed. They stood as firm as they ever had, not giving into the tremendous power kept at bay from his simple unenchanted weapons. Lance hardly had to time to feel discouraged before he withdrew Veronica and swiped at the man again.

Her impulsiveness had surprised him. It was always paramount to keep in mind your partner's tendencies when resonating together. Luckily in this circumstance it had worked out for the better with putting Shuujuku on the defensive.

The blade's extended reach was useless. In fact a shorter blade would have been more useful at this proximity. And Lance didn't doubt for a second that if it wasn't for his temporarily increased speed and strength he'd be at the mercy of his opponent. As it was all he could do was keep hacking and slashing until he landed home.

But the witch was still working her magic."Dammit it all," Lance hissed, gritting his teeth he did what he knew wouldn't end well for him but might just help the others. In hindsight he may have blamed Veronica but he knew then that the decision was completely mutual. Turning Veronica away from Shuujuku, he quickly turned, dragging her along the ground as he unleashed the green energy within at the occupied witch.

He didn't have time to think of the implications that he was possibly taking a life, at that moment the lives of his teammates seemed monumentally more important in comparison. If he stained his hands with blood to save other blood from spilling than he'd gladly do so.

And he almost succeeded too. In his mind the move had seemed so out of the blue and unexpected that he had suspected no immediate retaliation from his foe. So the slicing pain that engrossed his back took him completely by surprise.

The wave of blue energy that had burst from his blade sped in the wrong direction before withering out of existence moments later. Veronica shrunk back to her normal size as she fell out of Lance's grip, their connection breaking. His body slumped forward next to her as he collapsed onto the cold hard ground.

Distantly he could hear Veronica's voice, desperately trying to scream him back up. But he could feel the downpour of blood that was quickly soaking his jacket.

_What a way to go._ He fully expected that quick final stab that would come and end this numbness that had enveloped him. He might have welcomed it at that moment if it wasn't for the tormented wails of Veronica. With what he truly believed to be his last action he offered one more calm, reassuring smile to her before closing his eyes.

It was mostly a useless gesture he knew. He just hoped it might offer some closure to her in the days to come. That he hadn't shown regret or sadness at his impending demise and had instead gave his last moment to her, to show that she had made him happy even here. By the simple act of caring.

But the blow never came, Shuujuku merely sheathed his swords as he walked around Lance's limp body, cocking his head interestedly at the young redhead's agonized cries. He clearly could see Lance was still alive, he even made eye contact. Well, Lance stared into the empty eye sockets that the bandages didn't cover but Lance suspected they worked just as well.

But then Lance got it. He didn't want to kill an opponent who couldn't fight back. His blow had clearly intended to kill but now that he had failed he was unwilling or uninterested in someone who didn't offer a proper challenge or thrill. Small victories. Lance noted grimly.

But Veronica didn't see this, quickly turning to human form she morphed her arm into its blade shape, standing protectively over Lance's broken and bleeding form."Stay away."She growled, murderous intent clear on her tear streaked face.

Without a second's thought the samurai reached to pull out a katana, not seeing a need to draw the other for such a distraught adversary."No you idiot!"Lance shrieked from underneath her. Grabbing a hold of her ankle and letting loose what remained of his soul wavelength into her.

She crumpled to the ground quickly, joining him in his dirt nap."There."He said."She poses no threat to you now."

For a moment he thought the bandaged man was going to kill her anyways. But he nodded his understanding and turned to join his master. _Even those on the other side have honor it seems._ Lance thought weakly.

Veronica was out cold. It was possible he had poured a little too much of his wavelength into her in his rush to stop her from dying to defend him. But at least she was silent now. She looked almost peaceful now.

Brushing a few strands of crimson red hair from her forehead, he held her in his arms. Clinging to her warmth as the world seemed to get colder with every second. She was so beautiful, he thought, noticing it again more vividly than he usually did. He recalled his surprise at seeing her the night of the dance. How mesmerized he had been. How he had danced with her for one single slow song. He thought then and there that the thing he'd miss most when he died, which would probably be in a few minutes, would be those big emerald green eyes of hers.

Smiling again, he gently planted a soft kiss on her cheek and turned away. This wasn't the worse way to go. He doubted he'd survive but by now Lord Death must have seen the unlikelihood of their success and sent reinforcements. She'd live, and so would the others.

He was feeling drowsy so he decided to take another nap. He considered using her for a pillow but figured if she woke up with a corpse on top of her that might leave emotional scares. So he just lied beside her instead, clasping her hand tightly in his.

_What a way to go_. He thought again. No thoughts of distress on his mind, just peaceful acceptance.

His only regret being his unkept promise.

* * *

"Is….is he dead?"Morena asked as the swirling orb of energy completed in her palms.

A simple shake of the head was Shuujuku's only response. She valued his skills as a swords man and all but sometimes all she wanted out of the deceased samurai was a conversation."Ah, that's too bad. He would make an excellent slave."

She of course knew that she could always order Shuujuku to strike him down right now. He wouldn't like it, but he'd do it if she commanded it. Still, she refused to fill the stereotype of the cruel witch. She'd spare who she could and kill who ever forced her hand."Leave him. We have other matters to attend to."

With that out of the way she returned her focus to what lay in her hands. She'd never done a spell this strong on her own. The corpse practically reeked of power even though the soul had long left the empty husk. The spell required immense concentration and a series of vocal commands. From what she had heard remembering the words was the easy part. It was harnessing the power and bending the spirit to your will that was the hard part.

Well, she had harnessed the power already. She felt a little drained but still it had been easier than expected. The next steps were the words. She had had every spell beaten into her the hard way from a life lived among other witches who didn't share her desire to escape from the norm. They're methods were cruel but admittedly effective.

"Old spirit that dwells in the deep," She began."Awaken now from your eternal sleep. Return once more to the life that you crave. And come forth as my immortal slave. Cast off the chains that contain your soul and rejoin to your body and once again be whole. Obey me who has given you back what it was you lost and strive to defend me at whatever cost."

With the words said and the spell cast she wasn't sure what would happen next. Then, seemingly of their own accord, her arms shot up and the energy poured into the casket. The light emanating from her fingertips was blinding. She couldn't even see the point where it hit the corpse. But the effects were immediate.

Jerking from right to left the body shook, the limbs kicking and bucking in every direction. The eyes were open now, the pupils scanning anything and everything within sight. The light quickly consumed the insides of the coffin and only his shadow could be seen as he rocked and kicked. Fighting against his new found return to life.

Morena fell to her knees as the last of the light left her to go into the reanimated husk. That now walked towards her. This was the vital moment. She could feel each of her kishen slaves dying to the hands of the DWMA students and if she didn't succeed with this she may very well join them. She had to be strong now if she wanted to survive. Leveling her descending gaze she faced the kishen head on, staring into its dead eyes."Bow," She commanded. She was too tired and too panicked to think of anything better than the simple order.

The long dead eyes studied her for but a moment before turning to leave in the other direction. "No."It said as it sauntered out of the cemetery.

"No?"She repeated incredulously."You don't just say "no" when someone brings you back from the dead."She tried to stand but her legs failed and she fell to the dusty ground, getting dirt all over her dark blue feather designed robes.

"I do believe I just did."The dead man said, closing the gate behind him as he left.

He hadn't obeyed her. She had brought him back from the grave and he had refused her? Oh that simply wouldn't do. He had to die for such insolence.

"Shuujuku."She said, looking to the samurai by her side."Kill him."

He nodded his consent as he pulled a katana free from its sheath and made chase.

That would solve that problem. Now she could rest. Shuujuku had truly been the greatest gift she had ever received. She may not have been powerful enough to summon him herself but he was as loyal as any other minion she had controlled. His loyalty was only rivaled by garik.

Garik, that stupid brave fool, she dared not hope that he had survived. After all the one who had engaged him in battle was unconscious and dying just a few feet away. The boy in the hood had seemed more than willing to kill her with his energy attack. She saw no reason why he would have been merciful to Garik and not her.

Well, there was the fact that she was a witch and Garik was not.

The unfairness of it quickly made her regret not killing him when she had had the chance. Now she was too exhausted however from the failed spell. All she could do was lie there and wait while Shuujuku and the golem finished off her enemies.

And now she would wait, but not before examining this boy who had tried to take her life,

Weakly she approached the body, still afraid that it might spring to life once more. The coat had holes in it and was soaked with blood from the wound Shuujuku inflicted. Tentatively she reached down and pulled off his hood, revealing the black locks and the glasses that adorned his face. she didn't know much about what was considered attractive but she assumed this boy would have passed in better circumstances.

As it was his bangs were clinging to his forehead from where a trickle of blood had poured. And she wasn't sure of how she felt about the glasses. And he seemed to be drooling, which she found to be irritating. The short haired red head no doubt would have agreed with the habit being disgusting if he hadn't have knocked her out.

It was good to get a close up look of your enemies she decided then and there. To know who you were fighting was something she'd not soon forget.

They were no older than she and yet they were told to kill her, and she to do the same in return. The thought was quite saddening and she was ashamed to feel tears begin to form in her eyes.

Witches never cried.

* * *

Crona let herself indulge in the rare feeling of hope as she and Kid descended unto the desert battlefield. Many kishen souls littered the dusty old town but no human bodies. The battle still waged however. Felix was holding off multiple zombie kishen with Trish and Mark while Josilyn ran circles around the golem Soul had identified. It was only as she drew closer that doubt enveloped her. _Where's Lance? and Veronica too?_

The sword and her Meister were nowhere to be seen. She saw that Kid noticed this two as they landed. His skateboard Beelzebub vanished as they rushed to join the fray. The sister's and Ragnorak taking out any they crossed paths with as they made their way towards Felix.

"So the cavalry finally arrives?"Felix grinned as they joined him."Well I suppose late is always better than never."

Kid wasted no time with Felix's jest."Where's Lance?"He questioned, gunning down two zombified kishen who made the mistake of drifting too close.

"Dunno, haven't seen him since he ran into the church when clouds came."Felix answered, casually stabbing Trish through a bearded old cowboy."He just threw Mark at me and took off."

"Mark?"Crona said, remembering the young boy's weapon form.

"Hi Crona," Mark's transparent image waved from the shield's surface, completely pleased with the action going on around him.

"Oh, uh hello Mark."Crona greeted awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh look the runt."Ragnorak sneered, receiving a scowl from the young shield.

"Crona, go investigate the church. I'll stay here and help end this."Kidd interrupted, leveling Liz and Patti." And Crona," He added in a soft whisper next to her ear, "Bring him back if you can."

Crona was frozen. Kidd was putting Lance's safety into her hands. If Lance got hurt Kidd would hate her forever. And she'd hate herself too. She quickly started feeling weak and panicked. She was going to say how she didn't know how to deal with that much responsibility when she felt his hand on her shoulder again.

"Hey, it's okay. I know you can deal with this."Kidd smiled, defying her own thoughts."I wouldn't want anybody else watching over him."

Her mouth failed to formulate a response. Numbly, she nodded and turned to run off to the church. Once she stepped inside she nearly collapsed. She was supposed to ensure Lance's safety when she was hardly capable of defending herself. She wasn't sure if his words were unbelievably kind or cruel.

What if Lance was already dead? What would he say then? What if she found him and couldn't protect him like Kidd said she could? He'd never talk to her again. He'd just ignore her with that same dead eyed stare her mother always gave her. And all her other friends would no doubt follow suit. And she had just started to get used to friendly faces…

It was then that she took notice of her surroundings. It was a cathedra, smaller than the one in Italy but no less terrifying to her. It was a perfect reminder of what she really was, a monster too afraid to be anything else… but that was before she had met Maka, before she knew what friendship was. Now she had Maka and Kidd and even Lance was her friend when he seemed so indifferent to everyone else.

"Friends protect friends."She whispered aloud, standing up straight."Even if they're scared," She wouldn't let someone she cared about to be harmed. Not ever. Kidd's faith in her only added to her determination.

With her new found resolve, she searched the wrecked church, looking under pews and fallen beams from where the golem had probably tore pieces from the building. She held Ragnorak gingerly by her waist, ready to send a screech alpha at any unwanted people she might run into. She had completely searched the area in a matter of minutes without any sign of Lance and Veronica, save for a few left over kishen eggs and bloodstains she hoped didn't belong to them. Seeing no other options she made her way to the back door behind the altar. Preparing herself for anything she pushed open the door.

The door gave way beneath her force, letting the desert sun engulf her completely. The door had led to a small cemetery with freshly dug up graves, she thought she heard a quick rustling so she walked cautiously as she explored further.

She soon found what she was looking for.

Both of them were sprawled next to each other on the hard dirt ground. Veronica looked fairly unharmed but Lance was another thing altogether. He had multiple rips in his jacket and blood covered the top part of his face, but that wasn't the worst of it. The smell of warm blood was all around him.

"Lance."She said softly, reaching to check his pulse. The second their skin made contact he pulled away. Even unconscious he was still reluctant to be touched by anyone. But at least she knew he was alive.

Distantly she heard the sound of what could only be Kidd's Death Cannon. Hopefully that meant the battle was over. She knew she couldn't lift Lance up herself so she set to work on waking Veronica instead.

The brit snapped back into awareness on the first nudge, screaming and slicing at Crona. Crona quickly stumbled back and hit her head on a tombstone as she dodged the blade."You stupid cow!" Ragnorak screeched."We're on your side idiot!"

The insults must have jogged her memory because she put her blade down, her other hand never leaving Lance."Crona?"She asked, confused."What are you doing here?"

"We're here to save you."Crona panted, rubbing her sore head."Kidd and the others are finishing up the kishen."

"Then I guess I haven't lost you after all."Veronica whispered softly to herself. And Crona could swear she saw tears in the redhead's eyes."Help me pick him up. I can't carry him on my own."

Letting Ragnorak slip back inside her, she helped Veronica drag Lance by the shoulders through the cemetery gate. He groaned and occasionally muttered some nonsensical word or phrase but besides that he hardly seemed alive at all. The back of his coat had very little black left on it at this point.

He was lighter than Crona would have liked, as if he was an empty shell with no life left inside. They were just past the church when the other's spotted them. They were all worse for wear than when Crona had left them and a few fresh cuts and bruises decorated most of their bodies, all except Kidd, who was as fine as when he arrived.

"Good you're okay-"He started before seeing Lance's condition. For one short second she saw absolute fear in Kidd's eyes and she knew she had let him down. Dismay quickly spread on all their faces before Kidd retained his composure."Is he alive?"

"Just barely," Veronica explained frantically."You have to get him back to the school as soon as possible."

"I'll do it at once."Kidd said calmly, throwing Liz and Patti behind him, and summoning Beelzebub."Hand him to me."

Reiji and Felix assisted in helping Lance into Kidd's outstretched arms, their expressions grim as the reaper flew off.

"Crona what's the status on the Witch and her servants?"Josilyn asked as soon as Kidd was out of eye sight.

"I didn't see them."Crona muttered quietly.

"So he let them escape."Josilyn sighed."I knew he'd end up a liability."

Veronica sprung at her with full force."Shut your damn dirty mouth!"She spat as Reiji held her back."Don't you dare say another word about him."

Josilyn just rolled her eyes and walked away from the distraught sword. Receiving glares from everyone around her.

"Veronica."Mark said his sister continued to struggle against Reiji."Lance is going to be okay right?"

She froze in her captor's arms and no words came from her mouth.

"He's going to be okay," He asked again."Right?"


	19. Rumors, Blame, and Chocolate

Rumors spread quickly in the DWMA it seemed. At least that's how it seemed to Felix on that particular day. It had been less than twenty four hours after the failed mission when reported sightings of a heavily bandaged Lance had engulfed the school. Since none of those who knew the truth felt like talking about it, people made their own ideas.

The reason for the bandages varied. Some said it was a simple assignment gone bad against a witch or a kishen. Others had more imaginative ideas. One person said he had challenged Black*Star to a rematch and didn't get off scott free a second time. Another claimed having witnessed Lance go toe to toe with a triad of flying witches all launching fireballs at him. The most popular story by far though was the rumor that he had been attacked by a mysterious beast prowling the city streets at night and that other victims would follow suit.

"Man, he is going to be so peeved when he wakes up."Kyla said as she stirred a spoon through her coffee. They were seated at a corner table at DeathBucks, which had quickly become their usual seat.

"And why is that? If I may ask," Felix asked, sipping at his own bitter beverage. He didn't feel like sweet things would be appropriate right then."You don't think he'll be more relieved just to be back up and among the living once more?"

"Well, he'll no doubt feel some small satisfaction at not being dead."She explained, toying with a black curl."But he'll be immensely more annoyed by the amount of interest directed at him. And he works so hard to avoid interest too, such a shame."

"Well I wouldn't want to be the guy that was attacked by the "Death City Slasher" either."Felix smirked. You had to give the students credit. It was a catchy name.

"You've heard that one too? My favorite one is the one where he got the bandages after a night of drunken revelry and an orgy with multiple witches."Kyla added casually." because apparently they like to scratch."

"Uh, I hadn't heard that one…"He blushed, his face and ears turning a bright crimson.

"Oh really? It's become quite popular with the ladies."She grinned wickedly."A few of the guys too,"

"Heh, maybe I should get bandaged up next."Felix mused."Unlike Lance I have no problem with a little extra attention, especially from that audience."

"Which one? I mentioned ladies and guys."Kyla teased with another wicked smile.

"You really have too much fun at my expense you know."Felix pouted.

"Oh I wouldn't say that, I could always have more fun with you."She said, leaning forward."Now answer the question."

Putting his coffee down, he sat up straighter."Does it even need to be asked?"

"Well those are some pretty tight jeans…"She noted.

"And why are you staring at that area?"He said in return.

"I 'm a details girl what can I say?"She explained."I like to take things in fully with my eyes, and then maybe my hands, depends on the thing really."

"So you think you've absorbed enough of me with your eyes yet?"He asked.

"I think I could always absorb more."She said. Her eyes closing as she made to bridge the distance between them. He closed his own eyes as he prepared for the first of what he hoped to get much more of.

"Hey guys have you heard!"Tom shouted as he ran towards them, knocking Felix out of his seat by sheer shock."Black*Star's been challenging anyone he hears spreading the rumor that he sent Lance to the infirmary to a fight."He spouted."He's knocked out twelve so far."

"Wow Tom, that's so totally interesting."Kyla stated in monotone.

"I know right? We should go down and enjoy the show."Tom nodded."Oh hey Felix, whataya doing down there?"

"Just trying to get comfortable," Felix fibbed, not wanting to inform Kyla's twin that he just interrupted their first kiss."Wanna lend me a hand?"

"Sure thing," Tom said, pulling Felix back to his feet."Well I'm going on ahead before all the best seats are taken up. I just wanted to let you guys know."

"Bye bye Tom."Kyla waved as her brother ran out just as quickly as he had entered, eyes following him all the way out.

"Well that was disruptive."Felix said as he returned to his seat, waving a hand through is yellow hair."Now where were we?"He asked as he leaned forward again.

"Yeah, no," Kyla sighed."We'll have to reschedule that for another time I'm afraid. Seeing as my brother ruined the buildup we'll have to do it all over again."

"Oh."Felix pouted."But it will happen right?"

A warm smile spread across her lips."Of course," She promised."I'm not the kind of girl to leave a boy guessing." quickly, she leaned over, kissed him on the cheek and skipped out of the room, giggling all the while.

_Well, what should I think of that I wonder?_

Blissfully, he placed his hand on his cheek. The warmth made him wish for what he had almost gotten. He wasn't sure where it had come from. But he was greatly looking forward to what was to come next. His very first romance, it was quite the thought, with a fun, charming, energetic girl to boot. Not too bad Felix, not too bad.

He'd have to thank Lance when he got back on his feet. After all he was the topic that led to their almost-kiss.

Or he could wait until he got the actual kiss, whatever came first.

* * *

For the 6xth time in a row Kidd watched the mirror footage. It had all started so well too. They faced the main bulk of the zombie kishen horde with nary a scratch. Between Lance and Josilyn they managed to operate as a unit. They even held back the golem, and Lance had faired quite well with the strange boy with the eyepatch. It wasn't until that damned samurai that things went wrong. The bandage clad warrior was far superior then any swordsman Kidd had ever seen.

Usually the choice of two identical swords would have been enough to earn Kidd's admiration, but he only felt bitter contempt for the man who had barely just failed to kill his best friend. The scene where the wound was inflicted was the most difficult to watch, yet also the most attention drawing. After a certain point after watching it from every angle he became numb to it. The blood became nothing more than another thing to note in his mind, Veronica's wails of agony and defiance a troublesome background noise. Only the moment where the witch inspected Lance and started crying before escaping from the mirror's range left him confused.

While he was finishing the golem and flying Lance to the infirmary the witch and her servant with the eyepatch made their escape. The witch summoned a small portal as soon as her servant had recovered. The samurai had taken chase to the resurrected outlaw and neither had been seen since. So the mission that nearly killed Lance failed to bring back anything of worth besides a few dozen kishen eggs that were split amongst the weapons.

"Kidd? Are you watching that video again?"Liz asked, as she entered his room.

"Just absorbing the details," he replied, starting the mirror footage over on his desk mounted mirror, "It's how we avoid incidents like this happening twice."

"Use whatever reasons you want. It's still not healthy."She commented, her hands on her hips. "You should visit Lance. You're the only one who hasn't seen him yet."

"I've been preoccupied."He stated, turning his attention back to the mirror.

"All you've been doing is torturing yourself for something that isn't your fault."She chastised before sighing."Everybody's worried about you. Black*Star's been getting in even more fights than usual, Maka's thrown herself into her studies, Crona's confined herself to her room, even Patti's been down."

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing, I want you to deal with this yourself because you clearly aren't handling it well."

"Really? And how do you figure?"He asked.

"Kidd, look at your reflection for a second."She instructed.

Puzzled, he stopped the footage and the mirror returned to normal. What he saw was not expected. His clothes were horribly wrinkled and he had bags forming under his eyes. His hair was sticking in every direction with no structure in the slightest. The sight was so sickening he probably would have vomited had he not been so transfixed that he had actually let it befall he's usually well kept appearance."I guess I see your point."He complied, sighing himself."I'll go for a walk just as soon as I get a change of clothes."

"Good."Liz nodded, giving him a hopeful smile.

He didn't feel the need to return the sentiment.

Exiting his desk, he made his way to his perfectly symmetrical bathroom and thought about what Liz had told him. Black*Star getting into fights was no surprise. The number of brawls must have truly been high to warrant alarm from his friends. He'd take care of that first he decided, ignoring Liz's request to handle this for himself. He'd just handle it for other people before getting to that.

Maka's increase in studying wasn't really shocking either. She'd done it before during similar ordeals. He supposed he could simply try talking to her, though Soul seemed more than capable of helping her, and he didn't doubt that Liz had gone directly to her sister after talking to him.

And after them there was Crona. Crona, Crona, Crona. Why had she gone back to secluding herself after all the progress she had made? Did the incident in Deathwood affect her that much? He'd have to talk to her in private after visiting Lance. Perhaps he could offer some comfort to her. She most likely didn't know how to deal with almost losing a friend like that. God knows he hadn't been handling it well until now.

Talking to her would be more difficult than Black*Star or Maka. He usually felt at ease around her but as of late he'd been feeling increasingly nervous in her presence. Like he had to choose his words carefully or he might say something stupid. And yet things slipped out and he felt uncharacteristically shy and naïve. And she would just smile softly and blush in that adorable way of hers.

Perhaps he'd bring her something to lift her spirits. A gift of some sort, like chocolate or perfume, something a girl would like.

When his shower was done and he had changed into a fresh set of clothes, he set out. It was far past noon at this point. As soon as he opened the door he felt exactly what he'd been missing inside his room all day. The warmth from the ever jolly sun soothed him back into a state of calmness. It was good to be outside if only for the sunshine. But there was also the impeccable blue sky, the pleasantly cool breeze, and the sweet sight of symmetry around him. All these added together gave him more confidence in his goals for the day.

He had originally planned to go straight to the school to find Black*Star. Even though it was the weekend a fair amount of students still congregated there and it'd be the surest bet to find him if he really was challenging kids to fights. But now he figured it best if he went to the store first to buy Crona his gift.

He opted for the chocolate since buying a girl perfume seemed like telling her she smelled to him. A red heart shaped box of chocolates seemed sufficient. He liked hearts, all romantic implications aside, they were perfectly symmetrical, this one especially so.

With his heart and his destination in mind, he carried on his way. Before he even entered the courtyard he could hear the products of Black*Star's temper. Loud yells of pain and determination were audible from blocks away. This may have been his largest gathering of opponents yet. It was a pity it'd all have to come undone so soon. But Kid was already dead set to end it now. First though, he had to sneak past the assorted crowd to hide the box of chocolates in his locker, it wouldn't do to be have people question him about it while he was trying to consol Black*Star with his fists.

Empty halls were always appreciated. That way he could walk down the middle of them and keep everything in balance. Not like when there were other occupants and things got cluttered and chaotic. Structured and orderly was his saunter down to his locker and back again to the courtyard. The courtyard itself was of course the exact opposite. Black*Star had clearly been at it for a while now. Unconscious heaps of students littered the area with no semblance of anything orderly. It was more than enough to fuel his next few courses of action.

The usual suspects for Black*Star's beating were already down and out; such as Ox, Harver, and Hiro. Though many were still fighting or waiting in a surprisingly patient line of would be combatants. Currently the ninja was already juggling three foes, nobody of any particular notoriety in the school however. Only the girl with the blade mounted wristband seemed to be giving him a proper challenge. She was using the blunt side so there was no harm to it either.

"Come on guys! We can do better than this."She growled, as she blocked a kick."Let's get that whip a whipping, and you. Swing that mace!"

Her ferocity was nearly on par with Black*Star's. Sadly the same couldn't be said of her companions, who were quickly kicked into each other by the gloating assassin."Sorry Kyla seems your team is failing to perform."He laughed."I can see why when the only one who can hold her own is a chick."

"I'll make you eat those words."Kyla hissed, lashing out with her weapon, barely missing with each swing. The young meister's energy would have been impressive if he wasn't there to put a stop to it all. Taking a deep breath, he dived in. his hands stopping both a swipe from Kyla and a kick from Black*Star. The two quickly reeled back. Kyla's gaze shifting from rage to curiosity while Black*Star just looked annoyed.

"Well would you look at this."Kid said, golden eyes scanning the vicinity."I was recently informed someone was dirtying up my father's school. I was startled to believe such an outrageous claim. I didn't want to believe it. But yet here I am seeing it with my own two eyes."

With his hand now in his pockets and his posture firm, he paced."Now I must ask. Who here was the one to start this? I can clearly see Black*Star contributed the most. But who set him off."

No answer but stares and glares. That was surprising. He'd just have to play the reaper card a little harder then."And you. Kyla your name is? What brings you to this little brawl?"

"We came for the show."She answered honestly."And well… watching from the sides can get so boring for a girl after a while you know?"

"I see. And who told you of this show?"

"My brother," she said, indicating the blade on her wrist."Say hi to the nice reaper Tom."

"Hi nice reaper."The jovial voice sang from his sister's wrist.

"Yes hello."Kid greeted."Tell me Black*Star what started this. You've been oddly quiet during this whole spectacle."

For his part, the ninja seemed rather nonchalant about the interruption."I heard something I didn't like."The ninja explained."So I shut the mouth that spoke the words that's all. Not my fault his friends didn't appreciate it. Things kind of spiraled out of control from there."

"And what exactly did you hear that you didn't like?"Kid asked. Hmm, maybe I won't need to resort to violence after all.

"Well somebody came up with the idea that I sent Lance to the infirmary."Black*Star answered."I dislike getting credit for beatings I didn't give. So I gave the guy who started the rumor one. He's at the bottom of that pile over there."

_Well that explains it_."I suppose I can tolerate such misbehavior then. Just put a stop to it now that you've had your fun."He advised.

"Whatever," He shrugged."I was getting bored with this gig anyways."

"The rest of you clear out too."Kid ordered."Unless I feel like having some fun as well,"

If there was one thing Kid loved most about being a reaper it was that when you gave orders people listened. No questions asked. Within minutes the courtyard was empty. Even those unconscious were carried out by friends."Party pooper," he heard Kyla mutter as she left with the others.

With that task off his to do list, he headed to the library. Maka would most likely be there if she truly was engrossing herself into her studies. His suspicion was proven correct however she was not alone. And her studies didn't appear to be the thing she was most engrossed in.

The normally silent and abandoned library was invaded by the sound of gentle moaning. Soul and Maka's passionate display of affection was equal parts sloppy and surprising. In retrospect, Kid didn't know why it came as such a shock. The two had clearly been attracted to each other for some time now, and the fact that they lived together made it all the more expected. But still Kid still had to muffle a gasp as he saw the two engaged in the age old art of making out, which they seemed to have practiced a lot at.

Not one to watch, Kid silently made his exit from the library to leave the lovers where they sat.

_Well… that was unexpected_. It was all he could think. _I suppose that's one less person to attend to._

Pushing this new development from his head for the time being, he moved on. Lance was next, bloody and unconscious Lance in the infirmary wing. Kid suspected the journey might just be harder than the actual task this time. It wasn't his first time down there or anything. He had probably walked down that hallway for everyone of his friends at one point or another. But this was different. He didn't picture Lance as he was today, but the boy he had been, gentle and timid.

Entering the room he saw that Lance again. Sprawled on the bed, he looked like a child again. His hair a mess, a dark scab on his forehead, and of course the bandages on the back on which he lay. A vase of flowers stood beside his sick bed, along with cards from Maka, Trish, Tsubaki and numerous others, even Black*Star and Reiji. All saying the expected "Get well soon". Seating in the chair next to the bed was Veronica, fast asleep yet still clutching his hand like he might disappear in an instant. From the looks of it she hadn't left his side since he got there.

Admirable, he noted. Not willing to leave her meister's side in his moment of need, truly admirable. Mark probably would have been there too if Kid's father had not insisted on keeping the boy far from the infirmary wing, distracting him by any means in an effort to retain the youth's childhood, a noble yet ultimately futile goal. Mark had already seen his bloody and battered meister when Kid flew him to the school. The damage was done, the effects, irreversible.

"A delightful display of companionship," Stein said from his chair, suddenly sitting behind Kid."If not a sickening one," Kid was past the point of being surprised by his surprise appearances.

"How's it healing?"He asked. Between Nygus and Stein the odds were in Lance's favor but still one must never be too confident or certain.

"The wounds been sealed. I did the stitching myself."The doctor answered."He'll be slower than usual for the first few weeks. But some exercise will sort that out easily enough. For most people around this age a wound like this is a bigger blow to their confidence than anything else."

"So he'll be okay."

"In due time, if he works hard enough and has some support from his friends,"

"Looks like he won't have to worry about the support," Kid noted, looking at Veronica.

"Indeed. The loyalty of a weapon to her meister is a fearsome thing."Stein agreed, giving Kid an unreadable stare."The only thing more fearsome is the rage of one who no longer has a meister to protect."

Golden eyes narrowing, he retained his composure."And how would you know that?"He asked, giving nothing away.

"Oh just experience, personal and otherwise," The doctor shrugged, a small grin tugging at his mouth.

"Hmm, you'll have to tell me about it one day."Kid remarked, his glare not lessoning."As it stands however, I have other things to attend to."

"I'm sure you do."Stein nodded."Being the son of death must leave you little time for recreation."

"I manage."He muttered as he shut the door behind him._ What does he know?_ Stein was one of the few four star meister's currently operating for the DWMA. There was probably no limit to what he could find out if he decided to look up a file on the Rodriguez family…

But those concerns would have to wait. He still had one more person to see and a gift to retrieve from his locker.

* * *

_Chains of failure hold me to the ground. _She wrote from her corner of supposed safety_. I want to be brave but there's no courage to be found._

_Too weak to defend myself, I only endanger other's health._

_So I fail at every chance. And let them kill Lance._ With a sigh, she put the paper down and added it to the stack. Maka had said poetry would help once. It didn't work then either. All twenty some papers seemed to make a point of reminding her of her own worthlessness and inability to do anything right.

She hadn't left her corner since she first got back to her room. No one seemed to notice she was gone. That was for the best. She'd hate to make them worry about her too after all of this. There were people more worthy of concern than her at the present. She hoped Lance liked the flower's she got him and they made him feel better. Assuming he got better.

Ragnorak was lost in a deep sleep so she was alone. Unfortunately for her sleep didn't come quiet as easily. And at this point even his company would have been appreciated. Sighing again, she pulled Mister Cuddlesworth closer and pressed him to her cheek. The stuffed bunny had been a gift from Maka and one of Crona's most prized possessions.

"At least I have you."She whimpered."There's no way I could ever let you down, right?" The bunny didn't respond. She'd take that as a yes. An inanimate stuffed animal had faith in her, how great. At least he was cute and soft. Not to mention a great bed companion. She had grown accustomed to having the fluffy rabbit in her arms whenever sleep beckoned. It was nice to fill up some of the empty space on the bed she found too large for her tastes. She was used to a small corner with barely enough room for herself. In comparison the twin bed was downright huge. Empty and desolate.

Empty and desolate, words that appeared far too often in her poetry for her taste, among other unfavorable things. But she wasn't trying to think of those things at the moment. Right now all she wanted was to snuggle with Mister Cuddlesworth and forget about it all. To get lost in his unreciprocated hug was all she needed. Yet even as she squeezed him as hard as could she could still fell the tears forcing their way through her clenched eyelids. She guessed she wasn't as good at lying to herself as she thought.

After hours of continuously starving and insulting herself via poetry she had cracked. And the tears came out like a broken faucet, wet and sticky, not to mention pathetic, more pathetic than anything else. And Mister Cuddlesworth didn't do anything but sit there and watch.

"Stupid bunny," She wailed, chucking the fluffy creature against the wall before regaining control of herself.

"I'm sorry."She sobbed, begging for forgiveness."I'm so, so sorry."He was supposed to be the one person she couldn't let down and somehow she even managed that."You don't hate me?"His glazy lifeless stare of plastic bored into her as his usual way of saying yes or no. she took it as a no this time."Oh thank you so much. I'll never hurt you again."

This time the embrace did help. The tears were still coming but she felt better nonetheless. Maybe letting out some of her grief had helped if only slightly. With her bunny in hand she again sought refuge in her corner, clutching him like a mother holds a child, or is supposed to hold her child.

"We're okay. You'll see."

And just like that a little bit of peace reentered her life. She'd never let her dear bunny come to harm again. She'd never have to worry about finding him beaten and bloody, she'd never have to see golden eyes full of disappointment directed at her and her negligence.

A quick succession of knocks interrupted her thought process as she cradled Cuddlesworth. Throwing a panicked hand over mouth, she muffled a gasp. Who could that be? Who'd want to visit me? Not seeing any other solution. She got up and prepared to open the door, mister Cuddleswoth held by the ears in her unused hand.

She was still only awake from her recent insomnia, and bags were developing under her eyes. Her black dress was ragged and wrinkly, her hair was a mess and she had a stuffed bunny in one hand. And still there he was smiling with his golden eyes staring straight at her. His suit neatly pressed, his hair combed to perfection, his reaper face as unblemished as ever, his appearance all around symmetrical save the lines in his hair. He was so perfect in comparison to herself she was afraid she might start crying again.

"Hello Crona."Death the Kid greeted warmly."Just came to see how you were doing, mind if I come inside?"

"Not at all," she managed to say with nary a stutter or stammer. His eyes showed nothing, but she was sure there was disgust behind his smile, disgust at her horrendous untidy and unsymmetrical looks. And disgust at failing to prevent his best friend from ending up in a hospital bed. All of it was deserved.

"That's uh a very interesting rabbit you have there."Kid said with only a slight raise of an eyebrow.

_Idiot_, "Oh that's j-just M-mister Cuddlesworth," She bumbled, trying to hide the stupid bunny. Why had she brought it to the door with her?"He's just a gift from Maka. It's stupid really,"

"Nice name."Kid noted."I don't know. He seems kind of cute to me. And such perfect symmetry,"

"Heh, I guess he is."She conceded."I don't think I've ever noticed it before."So even her bunny had bested her in Kid's favor, just as well, Mister Cuddlesworth probably had more to offer anyway.

"Speaking of symmetry, I got you something."He presented, pulling a bright red heart from behind his back."Here, open it up."

It was one of those oddly shaped hearts she was slowly growing accustomed to seeing, the ones that looked nothing like the real thing. Dutifully, she undid the thin bow covering it, taking off the lid. Looking inside she saw a plethora of chocolates, of varying shades and hues of brown. Her mouth watered at the mere sight of them. Chocolate was still a new thing to her, and quite possibly one of her favorites.

Before she had time her body reacted. Her arms wrapping around him tightly as she hugged him close."Thank you, so much."She said to his shoulder. This meant he didn't hate her. He still cared about her, she hadn't let him down past the point of forgiveness. She was so happy she could just hug him all day, even if he didn't hug back.

"I guess I underestimated your love of chocolate."Kid said nervously, his cheeks a shade of red not commonly seen on the reaper's face. His arms never left his sides, but at least he was smiling, even if it was only just slightly. It still made her face hurt from her own huge smile. The good kind of hurt though.

"It's my favorite."She professed, letting her arms off him and grabbing one of the chocolates."Ah, it's hard to chew."

"That's because it's caramel."Kid explained with a chuckle."You can see all the types of chocolate on the lid, see right here."

There were so many different types she was dazzled."Well you stay and help me eat them?"She asked, immediately feeling embarrassed. He probably had more important things to do than sit around and eat candy with her."You know, if it's not inconvenient."

"It's no problem."Kid smiled."You get first pick of the chocolates though. After all the gift was intended only for you."

"I think I can agree to those terms."

"Then we shouldn't have any problems."

"Well I've already had one. So your turn,"

"Hmm, I'll take that one."He decided, pointing to a milk chocolate square towards the edge of the heart. Opposite to where the one she had eaten had been.

"Okay, here you go."She said, putting the piece into his mouth. Apparently she wasn't supposed to do that because he nearly choked and started blushing again fiercely."Oh, I'm sorry."She said quickly."You can feed one to me if that will make you feel better."

"N-no, no that'll be f- that'll be quite alright," He assured her."Let's just feed ourselves from this point on, okay?"

"Okay."She agreed, not wanting to do anything wrong again.

Things proceeded much better after that. Kid talked most of the time, which was fine by her. He had a nice voice and she liked listening to it. Occasionally he'd leave a pause for her to add a comment or voice her opinion, which she did, reluctantly at first but quickly became more eager to talk as the conversation went on. They both laughed and smiled and ate chocolate until all the chocolate was gone. And then they talked and laughed some more. They talked about their friends, of things that had happened in class, things on TV, and anything that happened to come to one of their minds.

When Kid eventually left his only cause was the setting sun. And even then his feet were slow as he and Crona walked to the school's exit."Thank you for a most wonderful time."Kid thanked."We'll have to do this again sometime."

"Yes, we should."Crona agreed with a hint of pink in her cheeks.

"See you tomorrow Crona."He said as he left to return to the Gallows Mansion.

"Yeah you too," She waved. Still in a stupor over the fact that he didn't hat her, maybe now she'd have something nice to write her poetry about.

Now the only thing that could make the situation better was if Lance finally woke up.

And she was sure that wouldn't be too far away.


	20. Rude Awakenings

Glaucus was impressed. If anyone but him had been searching for them they may very well have remained safely hidden for quite some time. As it was however he truly was the only looking for them, so he couldn't feel too smug.

The two he sought had been on the run ever since Arachnophobia and the DWMA had their little battle at Baba Yaga's Castle. Their reason for running was their foolish allegiance to the snake witch. Of course said snake witch was as dead as dead can be at this point. Without even the chance of inhabiting another's soul. He wondered if this made them think anyone considered them a threat. Surely the high witch would no doubt enjoy seeing them dead, especially the wolf. But it certainly wasn't a priority on her list.

So in the end, all the running and hiding had all been for naught. The little hovel they called home was remote enough to keep them safe for quite some time if any did decide to start sniffing them out. it was hardly noticeable amidst the trees and fields of green that surrounded. It may even seem homely to someone with lesser tastes than himself. The structure was a simple log cabin. It probably had been there for a while before its new occupants did. Or perhaps they made it themselves in their desperation for sanctuary. He wouldn't put it past them, and it certainly looked shabby enough.

As impressed as he was he hadn't come all the way there just to enjoy the countryside. He had a proposition for these two fugitives. One he knew they'd find quite to their liking. He was clad in his favorite white robe, hiding his hands as they hung at his sides. Covering his face was a scarf as stark white as his hair. The soft fabric covered his face all the way up to his eyes so they were all people would ever see. He had learned at an early age to dress for success. But if looking the part was all it'd take he wouldn't have been born with a tongue so clever.

Walking up to the door he did the polite thing and gave it a gentle knock. No response. Brows narrowing, he knocked again, still no response. With a frustrated sigh he knocked a third time. And for a third time no one answered. _Well that simply won't do_. With a flick of his wrist and a burst of light the door went flying."I'll let myself in."

Glaucus didn't know whether he should be amused or vastly disappointed. Asleep on the couch, completely undisturbed by the blasted door, was the man who stole the witch's eye. He had imagined the meeting would be a tad bit more dignified than watching the sleeping werewolf snore with a snot bubble forming in his nose.

"Hrmm" With no one else to be seen he entered. From the inside the shack looked somewhat livable. Expensive furniture and electronics were arranged haphazardly throughout. The lack of organization wasn't to his liking but with a little work he could see himself being quite comfortable in a similar place. That is of course if he let himself settle for anything less than everything, which he would never do.

With little patience left he approached the couch. With a gentle nudge to the shoulder he began."Greetings, I have been look-"And was quickly cut off as the sleeping wolf woke with a growl and a hand to his neck, pushing him against the wall and lifting him off the ground._ I suppose I'm not surprised._

"Who the hell are you and why are you here?"The wolf demanded, two different eyes glaring with dangerous intentions.

With a quick slip of his sleeve the grey wood wand he kept at all times was in his hand and launching the fugitive to the other side of the hovel."If you would have let me finish I would have already explained all that."Glaucus seethed, the wand still raised."As it stands I dislike interruptions when I'm speaking."

He hit the wolf with a another blast of white light for obedience training while a wall fell on top of him. He had hoped the girl would be here as well. Dealing with her probably would have been easier than this brute.

"Now as I was saying. I have an offer you might be interested in hearing."He continued."I understand your previous employer gave you your freedom. I also understand that she is no longer among the living. As it happens I am currently in need of a man of your particular skills. Name a price wolf, and you shall have it."

A spike of ice whizzing next to his head was the first reply."My name," came the second."Is Free!" The third reply came as a tackle as Free, now in full werewolf mode, charged him head on. Glaucus barely managed to slide to the side as he shot two more zaps from his wand, Free barely even acknowledged them as he started his onslaught.

The wizard in white however was no stranger to an attack, and weaved in between his claws with relative ease."So your name is Free, my mistake." He dunked, blocking ice with light."But now I know, this is how people learn." The werewolf didn't seem to want to listen to his reasoning though and before he could make another dodge he found his feet frozen to the floor."So now that I can address you properly we can conduct our business like civilized people. There's really no need for anymore unnecessary violence."

"That's your opinion."Free graveled as his backhand sent Glaucus right out the wall he had just blasted.

For several seconds, he was airborne. It wasn't too unlike flying on his broom. The difference came with the landing. On his broom he could slow himself down before making a gentle descent to the ground. Right now, his trip was neither gentle nor slow. He hit the ground hard, bouncing on mud and grass as his once pure white robes grew dirty and stained. When he finally lay still and the full impact sunk into him, only one word came to mind."Oww."

He was almost on his feet again when the wolf was back. In human form now, but that probably wouldn't stop him from beating Glaucus to a pulp if he wasn't fast with his spells. The weight shackled to his leg jingled ominously. With astonishing ease the former prisoner had him hoisted into the air again, barring his teeth at the young witch boy. If he wanted Glaucus to panic he'd be sorely disappointed. He'd had closer brushes with death before fighting with this lumbering oaf.

He was about to say as much, but then the werewolf threw him to the ground. And everything went black.

* * *

Stein didn't know whether to admire the girl or be annoyed by her. Her loyalty and determination were certainly impressive, but she made his job difficult. Always asking the same questions whenever he came into the room as if the answers might change. Nygus had to deal with her even more and yet she was always patient and gentle with the little redhead. Stein didn't know how she did it.

"So is he going to wake up today?"She asked, clutching the poor boy's hand even harder than she usually did.

Stein could only ignore her. There were only so many ways to say "maybe" and he had used all of them.

That did naught to stop her questioning."Is he still healthy? Are the stitches healing well? How's his pulse?"

He had already answered those questions too and he refused to repeat himself. Yes, Rodriguez was in relatively good shape considering, and yes the stitches were fine, the only problem was his pulse. Which was still too slow, he had lost so much blood from his injury that'd it be a while before it was back to normal. And unfortunately for him, they only had a little of his blood type in the reserves and he had already had all of it put inside him. It was pure luck that he had lived at all. Arondight should've realized that and gone home. Stein suspected that's what Rodriguez would have wanted anyway.

Honestly, the students these days were far too sentimental for his tastes. Between the girl and the pile of get well cards Stein was slowly getting sick. He had resorted to doing twice as many dissections when he got home just so he could go to sleep without thinking of all the sap.

The boy would live. He had already survived the toughest part. The rest would all come down to waiting. And if that stubborn Brit of a sword planned on holding his hand through the entirety of it, he hoped she brought a book.

He would have preferred to kick her out of the room, but Nygus would have no part of that. She had insisted that Arondight be allowed to stay. Eventually Stein had conceded and agreed not to torment the girl any further than she had already suffered. At the beginning he had even tried his hand at being pleasant. That worked about as well as ignoring her was now. His low level of patience was proving insufficient with tolerating this girl.

Finishing his inspection on Rodriguez, he rolled out of the infirmary and back into his classroom. Class had finished hours ago, but there were always papers to be graded. He'd make sure his patient received all the assignments he'd missed as soon as he decided to wake up, whenever that may be. Stein hoped for his sake it was soon.

Rolling in his chair down the hall, he passed the assignment wall. That girl with the shadow weapon, Masterson, was looking through each mission with daunting concentration, weighing each one over each to see which one would prove the most beneficial, or challenging. With a girl like her Stein couldn't be too sure.

"Hello professor," Masterson greeted him as he passed."May I inquire how Lance is fairing?"

_Another one?_ This was more surprising. From what he knew Rodriguez and Masterson were far from friendly with one another. Why should she care about his state of health?

"He's alive, for the moment. I expect he'll make a full recovery after a few weeks of physical rehabilitation."Stein answered. The same answer he had given all the others who had asked.

"A few weeks you say, hmm."A crease appeared in her forehead, as she took a moment to ponder something. "Would you say he'd be back in shape soon enough for this?"A long pointed finger went up to one of the higher assignments on the board, A high level assignment with a requirement of two meisters and at least two weapons, with warnings about serious danger. The only way Rodriguez could go on such a venture would be if he started his training today.

"Unlikely, he's still yet to regain consciousness. And such a mission could prove hazardous to someone with an injury such as his."Stein explained."Why is it you want him to accompany you on this instead of one of your other class mates?"

Her hesitance with answering managed to get Stein interested, if only a little bit so.

"Everyone I've asked so far has said no."She admitted."Felix and Kyla are even planning on completing it themselves. As it stands Lance is currently my only option."

"Surely there's someone else who'd agree to go with you."Stein said, making her squirm.

"I'm afraid not. All the students with the gall to even go on the mission are either too intimidated by me or just don't like me."She stated with a downcast gaze."I apparently have not done a good job of making friends during my time here."

"Well that's unfortunate."Stein declared, resisting a smile."Have you considered not going on this assignment or perhaps choosing a different one?"

"Not for a second sir."

"I thought as much."Stein sighed."I suppose I could take you to his room, everybody else has barged in there already so I might as well."

"That would be very kind of you sir."

"Yes, it would." _Uncharacteristically so some would sa_y. _All this sap is finally rubbing off on me, between this and my own wake up gift I prepared…_"Here this way."

And so he rolled his way back to the infirmary. Masterson proved ill suited for the task of making casual conversation and they spent the whole time in a cool silence, and Stein found himself wanting for a cigarette. He'd have to have one after humoring the stoic little girl. He had already made good headway with depleting the pack he had found in Rodriguez's pocket.

That hadn't been the only thing the professor had found in the fascinating boy's pockets. Stored within his plain black long coat resided an arsenal of junk, the sort of junk that could save your life twelve times over. Resourcefulness apparently ran in the family. Natsumi had practiced swordplay and archery as well as fighting with a scythe during her years at the academy. From what Stein had seen so far, Rodriguez was a mixture of both Damon and Natsumi. He possessed his mother's skills and intellect, while having his father's charm and appearance. Stein had only been an underclassmen when the two were graduating, yet still he remembered the pair with perfect clarity.

Damon was much the same as Rodriguez was now, only taller and more talkative with a fondness for suits, if he recalled correctly. A perfect example of everything a weapon should be. Everywhere he went his band of friends followed. Natsumi was less outgoing, more concerned with her grades and her mission, but still loved by all. No one was surprised when Damon ate his witch soul and became the youngest Death Scythe in decades at only seventeen.

People were surprised however, the day he snapped.

It had been a few short weeks after Natsumi's untimely demise. In the end all her extra training hadn't stopped the witch fire that had incinerated her. Poor little Lance Rodriguez was barely out of the crib when he lost his first parent. At that time his father had said his last farewell to his son and set forth on his quest for blood and retribution. The official report said he never found the witch that killed his wife, only those assisting her. After that he didn't stop. He was still on mourning leave when he killed the Death Scythe residing over Africa at the time. Six weapons and several meisters as well as a dozen innocents were slain in his thirst for vengeance. His target being Lord Death himself, the man waltzed into the streets of Death City, singing and mumbling to himself when he was finally killed.

Of all the men the professor had fought Damon Rodriguez had been the toughest. Even with a death scythe in his hand and three others to assist him, the fallen hero had not gone down without a fight. Laughing as he was repeatedly stabbed, shot, and slashed, his silver hand shining in the moonlight like a scalpel ready to make the first cut. His soul was on the precipice of being a full blown kishen. Stein still recalled the strange and terrible beauty of it, so strong and so twisted, so unlike the soul of his son.

His soul was interesting for all the opposite reasons, as he suspected Masterson knew full well of them. Maka may not have thought to examine his soul but a girl like Masterson was different. She was probably examining Stein's own soul as well as Rodriguez's and Arondight's. Her eyes never missed a thing.

"What is she doing here?"Arondight questioned accusingly.

"I merely wished to see Lance's condition for myself."Masterson stated in monotone.

"You didn't seem too concerned about his condition back at DeathWood."The redhead growled, her hands forming into fists.

The brunette didn't seem concerned at her anger. Taking a chair next to the bed she examined the unconscious boy more closely."Hmm, you said it would be a few weeks before he would be ready to go on any missions, correct?"

"Yes, his body would be too weak for fighting otherwise."Stein answered.

"And you've tried everything you could think of to wake him up, correct?"

"Everything within standard protocol, yes,"

Masterson considered that for a moment."I'll be right back."She said abruptly, leaving the room in the direction she had came. The spurs on her boots clinking audibly as she made her departure.

"What's up with her?"The remaining girl asked."Why is she so anxious for Lance to wake up all of a sudden?"

"She needs him for a special assignment she can't do alone."Stein answered, seeing no reason to keep it a secret from the girl. She'd find out about it sooner or later anyways."And she has a deadline."

"Bah, as if Lance would agree to work with her with that stick up her arse," She snorted, crossing her arms."How Reiji puts up with that I will never know."

The clinking of spurs signaled Masterson's return. In her hand hung a bucket of ice and water filled to the brim, threatening to over flow with every one of her steps.

"What do you think you're doing with that?"Arondight jumped up.

"Trying something outside of protocol," She said, raising the bucket."I would suggest giving him some room."

"You're kidding right?"

"Have it your way then, don't say I didn't warn you."

With that the water was sent flying. Soaking meister and weapon alike, and two separate shrieks filled the room, followed by a groan.

Stein could only smirk, still dry in his lab coat. _Well I'll be damned._

* * *

Cracks appeared in the dream and a tidal wave flooded his senses. The water was cold, so cold. And Lance had nothing on to defend him from the shivering. The enemies surrounding him were pushed away with the current of the tide, only his sword managed to hold onto him before the wave sent him crashing into the earth.

With a startled jolt and a gasp from his mouth, Lance was awake. Cold and wet with a hand that felt like it had been under a steam roller, but awake nonetheless. Brushing the wet hair out of his eyes, he let out his first sigh in days and examined his surroundings.

The scorching desert had been replaced for a clean white room. His clothes too had been replaced with a paper thin medical gown that showed a little too much leg for his taste. He'd have to switch it for something more covering the second he could. Preferably something black and long, if there wasn't too much blood on it. Not to mention the rips.

Speaking of rips, his sword had at long last retched herself out of his crushed hand and was slicing at Josilyn, who narrowly parried her slash with the empty bucket in her hand.t._That explains why I'm wet._ He thought as she blocked another strike. Veronica was so consumed in her wroth that she hadn't even noticed Lance was awake. It was only when she heard his voice that she realized the gunslinger hadn't truly harmed her meister.

"Ronnie."Lance said, his voice soft from lack of use."What have I told you about stabbing people just for making you mad?"

With a shimmer her blade was gone. Only a pale fist hanging in the air remained as she turned to see if he really had spoken or if it had just been a cruel joke made by her teasing mind. With widened eyes she stared, daring to believe. Transfixed by the sight as if all the weight in the world was being relieved from her shoulders and there was finally rest. She hardly seemed to move at all.

It was all Lance could do to end the silence."It's nice to see you too."

And then she was on him, squeezing his whole body as she had squeezed his hand. His stiff, sore body was crushed in her iron grip. But he wasn't about to show pain now, after all her waiting. So he hid his cringe and wrapped his arms around her how she had hers around him . She was in the same exact clothes she had worn days ago and she needed a bath. Her hair was messy and there were bags under her eyes. All together she was breathtaking, both figuratively and literally. And Lance could not for the life think of a better sight to wake up to.

And then the tears came. At first a single drop slid down her face, followed by a second and then a third. After that the flood came again, and she was sobbing into his chest as he cradled her in his arms, rocking gently. Guilt overcame him. He had reduced her to this by his weakness, if he had only been stronger, been quicker she never would have gone through this. _She cares so much. About me._

"I think it would be best if we gave these two a few minutes alone."Stein suggested.

"If that's what you think Professor."Josilyn nodded."I can discuss my arrangement with Lance afterwards."

_Arrangement?_ Lance decided not to dwell on that ambiguous statement. He had more concerning things in his arms.

"You're back."Veronica whimpered with a smile."When the mummy hit you, I thought you were going to die. But now you're back. You're back, you're back, you're back."

"I certainly am."He said, placing a soft kiss upon her brow. Just like the one he'd placed before falling asleep."And I plan on keeping it that way."

A little fire returned to her eyes at that."Oh you better."Her fingers gripping him harder, "Or so help me I will hurt you so much you will be begging for another's little scratch from that samurai."

A smirk crept on to his face. The one he always used to annoy her."Good to see you're back to normal, a partner who wasn't a total psychopath would be ever so dull."He jested."Speaking of partners, where's Mark?"

"He's fine."She said, wiping the remnants of the last dried tears from her face."Lord Death's been watching over him. Trying to distract him from, you know. You."

It only then began to dawn on him that Veronica wasn't the only one worried about him. The stack of get well cards on his stand was evidence enough of that. He'd have to go through this with all of them. Hopefully he would have a change of clothes by then. But at the moment there was another pressing subject on his mind."Veronica."He said."Tell me. Did we get the witch? Are you a death scythe?"

He knew the answer before she uttered a single word. The sad smile that took over her lips and the way her gaze moved to the floor told him that fast enough."Take a wild guess." She teased, trying to make light of it."Do I look like a death scythe to you?"

She did a decent job at hiding her disappointment, but it was still there."I wouldn't know."He sighed."You look the same as ever."_Beautiful_,

"Maybe after a nice good bath I will. The same could be said of you too, pretty boy."

"I've always adored the way you manage to put me down and compliment me at the same time."

"Thanks, I put a lot of effort into it."

"So how pretty would you say I am?"

A familiar groan that he hadn't heard in days answered his query. He really was back.

"Seriously, this is a matter of grave of importance. How else am I supposed to know my chances with all the female students of this school?"He asked in a serious voice."I'll need to rely on my looks if I'm going to keep hanging out with a seven year old and his sister."

That finally did it. A vein appeared in her forehead and suddenly he was reliving his everyday life once again. Her blows were noticeably softer then her usual assault. But he reveled in her annoyance all the same.

"Well you're obviously doing better."Veronica grunted as she stood up, pretending to still be angry."So I'll send the good doctor back in for you. Bye."

"Goodbye."He said as he watched her go, a big part of him wanting to leave the infirmary and follow.

The doctor was back moments later, along with Nygus. Together they poked and prodded him for well over an hour before they were satisfied. He'd have to stay there for the rest of the week, but after that he was free to go, so long as he took three hours out of everyday for exercise to help restore him to his original strength.

After his examination, the doctor stuck around, smiling that creepy smile of his. Only after Lance was fully and completely uncomfortable did he voice his unease."Can I help you, professor?"

That seemed to amuse him."I wouldn't think so. But I may just be able to help you."The way the light hit his glasses almost managed to make the young meister shiver."You certainly are a talented young lad. Most aren't as adept at hiding their discomfort as you. If it wasn't for my soul perception I might be convinced you actually are as stoic and strong as you'd have the rest of us think. Though we both know better than that don't we?"

Lance only glared, his face giving nothing.

"It is rather impressive how much you've accomplished, what with your handicap and deep rooted emotional traumas and all."Stein continued."Tell me Lance, does that hot tempered sword of yours know about either of those things?"

His gaze moved from the doctor to his feet in an instant. He had wanted to tell Veronica, had even attempted it once. But the words never came out. How do you go about telling one of the only people who has genuinely cared about you that your dad was a murderous monster?

"As I expected," The professor sighed, cleaning his glasses."Well we all have our secrets to keep."

"So what interest is it of yours?"Lance finally snapped."If all this is about you being worried about me being like my father than save it. It's nothing I haven't heard before."

"Clearly you have misinterpreted my reasons for being here. I didn't come down here to lecture you about things you already know, or to scold you for crimes that weren't your fault. The reason I am here is quite simple. I have a proposition for you that you may just be interested in, so tell me Lance will you hear me out? Or should I go to someone else? Josilyn is still waiting right outside the door, maybe she might like what I have to say more than you."

Lance eyed him suspiciously, not entirely sure what to think."Go on."

"Despite all your shortcomings, you've managed to pique my curiosity. So much so that I've invested a great deal of time studying you and your life."He began, getting straight to the creepy point." Your soul has been a most invigorating specimen, and I think in spite of its flaw, you could be something great, under the proper tutelage of course."

Lance didn't know what the doctor meant by flaw, but he thought he knew what he was getting to."And you think you could provide me with this tutelage I desperately need so badly?"

His smile returned at that."Yes, yes I do."He said."As a sign of my goodwill I've brought you something, a gift of sorts."From beside him he pulled out a bag and began to pull out its contents. A single black sleeve was enough to make Lance sit up straighter. As the rest of the coat followed he could hardly contain his amusement.

His coat had been fixed. The white stitching that held it together was in stark contrast to the rest of the black cloth. Up the back and through the sleeves the white thread went, even to places where it hadn't been cut. It was lighter than normal when he held it in his hands. The pockets must have been emptied during its repair. But it still felt right. With one swift moment, he had his trademark coat on once again. It kind of clashed with his medical gown, but still he felt snazzy.

Pushing his glasses on all the way he stood up, his legs wobbling from lack of use."You make a strange offer Professor Stein."He remarked."But hell if I'll turn it down. I'm your guy, through and through."

"That's what I hoped for."Stein smirked, shaking the young meister's hand."Meet me alone on Sunday nights, tell no one what you're doing and never be late."And with that he made his way to the exit."Oh and you have business to attend to with Ms. Masterson out her, oblige her if you will."

_Right. One task exits, another enters._ It seemed there was no rest awaiting him now that he was awake.

* * *

His head was still throbbing as he awoke. His hands were tied to a chair, he discovered as he stirred. His scarf had been removed as well, he noticed to his annoyance. If it had been harmed lives would be lost.

He was back in the hovel.

The whole in the wall gave that away easily enough. The mutters coming from the room to his left also made that clear. He could recognize the low growl of the wolf man as he and his accomplice conversed. It was the other voice that he didn't know, a high pitched feminine voice presumably belonging to the other person he came to see in this backwater shack in the middle of nowhere.

With an annoyed 'tsk" he let a small stream of energy cut through the rope, releasing his hands. his wrist were raw beneath it and he rubbed them tentatively. The next spell he utilized cleaned his robe, restoring it to its former magnificence. He couldn't fix the rips, but most of his appearance had been saved.

He may have been able to free himself, but without his wand he dare not engage either of his captors in combat. It appeared he'd have to resort to cunning once again. Glaucus, being the master of caution that he was, quietly approached the wall where the voices were coming from, pressing his ear against it to get a better foothold on his situation. The voices didn't seem to share opinions on what ought to be done with him.

"Don't you think we should hear him out? You did say he was talking about some kind of offer."The girl's voice said, behaving more sensibly than her brutish companion.

"He's obviously a spy sent by Arachnophobia. Why else would he be here?"Free asked.

"Oh I don't know, but if it could get us out of this freaken cabin I'd be happy to find out."She whined.

"Eruka our lives are in danger. He could bring the spiders right down on us, or worse he could be with the witches."He explained with a hint of agitation."They'll lock me up again and make sure I can't pee on the bars this time."

"You didn't do that last time."

"Yeah but I could have!"

_This is going nowhere._ All Glaucus wanted was an opening, some point in the conversation where he could leap in and explain his purpose in grandiose fashion, making them see his honest intentions. They'd agree to his plans in a heartbeat if only he could speak.

"I say we knock him out again to buy us some time and take off. He won't track this dog twice."Free declared.

"I don't think that will be necessary."Glaucus said, seizing the barely subpar opening that he had."I very much think you'd want me awake once you hear what I have to say."

The wolf recoiled and fell from his stool in his efforts to man a defense. The witch for her part was quick in conjuring some sort of black orb in her hand, aimed directly at him._ Impressive_."Fear not."He said, raising up his empty hands."As you can see I'm without weapons."

"That doesn't really stop people like us from doing harm now does it?"She challenged, her slimy black orb holding firm.

"True, and normally you'd be right to keep your guard up."Glaucus explained calmly."But I've already expended a fair share of my power already playing with your pet over there. and without my wand I frankly wouldn't pose much of a threat to you and your beast. So please, put your attack spell away."

The witch hesitated a moment before complying. She was a slim your girl of an age with Glaucus. Her silver hair had a hint of blue that shimmered as it fell from her orange frog hat and landed on a black dress with white pokey dots. _Cute, those spots on her cheeks aren't hideous either_. Only one thing was wrong with her appearance and that was draped casually around her neck.

A minor twitch was all the anger he could show. The wolf was already growling from behind Eruka. And her eyes still said danger. He'd have to keep talking before his scarf would be safely wrapped around his face once more.

"As you may know, I came here seeking to tell you of a proposition you may find to your liking."Glaucus explained smoothly, flashing a disarming smile.

"Let's hear it then."

A smirk, more dangerous than his smile, crept onto his lips. _And my victory is set in stone_."Well, Eruka, If I may call you that, I'm well aware of your current predicament, chased by all sides without an ally in the world, left alone to fend for yourself with naught but your companion here. But what else could you do? The witches want you dead for following Medusa. As well as assisting in the escape of Free over here. Arachnophobia would like nothing more than to see you captured and chained for not siding with Lady Arachne and again for aiding Medusa. And the DWMA would have you killed just to power one of their Death scythes, as well as for assisting Medusa. It seems you've made some very poor decisions with your choice of alliances."He surmised."What did siding with Medusa for so long ever bring you but enemies and pain?"

Her downcast gaze showed he struck a chord."I had no choice."She said, her eyes not meeting his."She would have killed me otherwise. Her snakes, they were…inside of me."

_Snakes?_"But now she's gone. And there's no one here to control or protect you. But I could change that last part. Hear me out and you will have no need to ever fear a foe in the dark ever again."

"I don't buy it."Free huffed."What could this punk do to help us that we couldn't do ourselves?"

"Let's just hear him out Free."Eruka replied, transfixed by Glaucus's words.

"My terms are simple. Join me. become my solders and you shan't be sorry. I'll bring you protection, I'll bring you purpose, and best of all. I'll bring you power. More power than you would have ever thought you could want."

"And what will bring us this power?"Eruka asked, her eyes already saying yes.

"The single greatest magic tool ever invented, from before even Elbon's time, forgotten by almost all."Glaucus said, stepping forward and sliding the scarf off her neck only to wrap it around his face once more."Merlin's Staff.


End file.
